Construction work on a section of the Dhungeshwari Ropeway Project is nearing completion and its testing is expected soon

Went: Tourists and devotees visiting bodhgaya During the upcoming tourist season 2026-27, there is a possibility of ropeway facility to reach at least the middle of Dhungeshwari hills, where the ancient Mahakal cave temple with the idol of Buddha is located.Construction work on a section of the ropeway project is nearing completion and it is expected to be tested before the start of the upcoming tourist season in Bodhgaya. Once completed, it will be only the second ropeway to be operational at a site on the Buddhist circuit in the south after Rajgir. Bihar. Work is also going on on two more ropeways including Pretshila and Brahmayoni hills in Gaya district.Earlier, visitors had to climb steep stairs to reach the cave temple of Dhungeshwari. A recently constructed motorable road close to the cave temple has already made access easy for visitors. The ropeway is expected to further enhance connectivity and provide a more convenient journey to the cave temple. The project, being developed at an estimated cost of around Rs 16 crore, aims to improve accessibility to the cave temple, a major Buddhist pilgrimage site near Bodhgaya.Shashi Bhushan Kumar, junior engineer, Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC), who is overseeing the ropeway project, said, “One section of the ropeway, which is nearing completion, is 309 meters long. Once the testing is successful and the ropeway is fully operational for tourists, it will have the facility to go up and down for 12 persons at a time. Two trolleys with a capacity of six persons each will be made operational in the first section.However, before opening the first section for normal operations, about a month of testing will be carried out to ensure proper safety norms. The second section from the cave temple to the top of the hill is about 200 metres. Survey of the second section has also been done. After the commissioning of the first section, work on the second section will be expedited.Rakesh Kumar, president of the Tourist Guide Association of Bihar, said, “The Dhungeshwari Hills, also known as the Pragabodhi Hills, have two ancient caves, also known as the Mahakala Caves, where the Buddha is believed to have practiced meditation for about six years before attaining enlightenment under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya. A golden statue of the Buddha has been installed in the cave, where Buddhist devotees offer prayers. The caves lie between the bottom and top of the hill. There are some ancient brick stupas on the top”.