Kolkata: Bengal’s tourism department is planning to renovate and restore the nearly 200-year-old Cooch Behar Kali Bari at Bangali Tola in Varanasi’s Sonarpura, and develop a hospitality centre in the area.Restoring the temple complex and building the nine-storey hospitality centre is estimated to cost around Rs 80 crore.The proposal was discussed during a recent visit to the temple by minister of state for tourism Purnima Chakraborty, along with West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation MD Sumant Sahay and West Bengal Tourism chief engineer PP Sinha.The temple complex is spread across two acres and houses a Kali temple, Hawa Mahal and a kushti akhara.The proposed hospitality centre will have 60 rooms for guests, 10 suites, a banquet, a restaurant, a gym, a coffee shop and a library. The existing Hawa Mahal is proposed to be converted into premium luxury suites.The project will showcase Bengali art, literature, cuisine and music. Officials said the initiative would strengthen the cultural connection between Cooch Behar’s royal heritage and Varanasi’s spiritual tourism circuit.
