Maharashtra Plans Miraj Music Heritage Park to Preserve Iconic Musical Legacy

Mumbai, July 28: Maharashtra’s Minister for Cultural Affairs Ashish shelar has directed officials to prepare a comprehensive blueprint for the proposed Miraj Music Heritage Park, aimed at preserving, promoting and globally showcasing Miraj’s centuries-old tradition of string instrument making.

Chairing a review meeting at Mantralaya, Shelar instructed the district administration to convene a joint meeting under the chairmanship of the Guardian Minister, with representatives from the Cultural Affairs Department, Industries Department, the District Collector’s office and other stakeholders, to prepare the project’s preliminary plan.

The proposal seeks to preserve Miraj’s over 200-year-old legacy of handcrafted string instruments. Widely regarded as one of India’s leading centres for traditional instrument making, Miraj is home to nearly 200 artisan families engaged in crafting instruments such as the sitar, tanpura, surbahar, dilruba and mayuri veena.

The proposed Heritage Park is envisioned as a world-class cultural destination featuring a modern string instrument manufacturing centre, a dedicated musical instrument museum, exhibition galleries, a performing arts venue, research and documentation facilities, artist training centres and spaces for regular cultural events.

Shelar said the project would not only safeguard Miraj’s rich musical heritage but also establish it as a globally recognised cultural and tourism destination. He added that the Cultural Affairs Department would provide technical support for museum planning, heritage conservation, festival organisation and conceptual design, while the district administration would oversee land allocation, infrastructure development and funding.

The minister also directed the District Collector to expedite the preparation of the project’s presentation, identify a suitable site and finalise the preliminary blueprint in coordination with all concerned departments.