Plan to turn parts of 350 forts into hotels

January 25 (TravelAndy): The Maharashtra government is planning to convert parts of its forts into heritage hotels and wedding destinations, said reports.

There are as many as 350 forts dotting Maharashtra, including the Murud-Janjira fort, Lohagad and Visapur forts, Harishchandragad, Arnala fort and Ajinkyatara fort. Most of them were built during the reign of the famous Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji.

These 350 forts are being explored as potential heritage hotels.

However, the project awaits clearance from Archaeological Survey India (ASI).

Many environmentalists, historians and ASI officials are of the view that this initiative could harm the historical structures and create ecological imbalance.

With most of these forts located inside the forests of Maharashtra, the gathering of tourists and wedding events could potentially harm the immediate environment.