The project will realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to create an easily accessible pathway connecting Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple to the banks of river Ganga
The idea is to have 20-25 feet wide corridor from the Lalita Ghat in Varanasi to the Mandir Chowk in the temple premises to enable at least two lakh people to be present at a given point of time.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Varanasi on 13-14 December and will visit Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple and offer prayers, after which he will inaugurate phase 1 of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham, constructed at a cost of around Rs 339 crore.
It was the vision of Prime Minister Modi for a long time, to facilitate pilgrims and devotees of Baba Vishwanath, who had to encounter congested streets and surroundings with poor upkeep, when they practised the age-old custom of taking dip in the holy river, collecting Gangajal and offering it at the temple.
Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham was conceptualised as a project to create an easily accessible pathway to connect Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple to the banks of the River Ganga. To kickstart the work for this pious endeavour, the foundation stone of the project was laid by the prime minister on 8 March 2019.
The prime minister took a keen and active interest at all stages of the project. Regular briefings, reviews and monitoring was done by the prime minister himself, and he constantly gave inputs and insights to improve the project and make it more accessible for pilgrims, including for the disabled. The project was designed to provide easy access for the disabled and old age people with the provision of ramps, escalators, and other modern facilities.
A total of 23 buildings will be inaugurated in phase 1 of the project. They will provide a variety of facilities to the pilgrims visiting Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple including Yatri Suvidha Kendras, Tourist Facilitation Centre, Vedic Kendra, Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, city museum, viewing gallery, food court among others.
The project involved the purchase and acquisition of more than 300 properties around Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple. In this process, around 1,400 shopkeepers, tenants and homeowners were rehabilitated.
During the process of destruction of the old properties, more than 40 ancient temples were rediscovered. These temples have been restored and beautified while ensuring that there is no change in the original structure.
The scale of the project is now spread over a massive area of about 5 lakh square feet whereas earlier premises was limited to just around 3,000 square feet. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the work on the project has been completed as per the planned schedule.
During the visit to Varanasi, the prime minister will also visit Kaal Bhairav Temple at around 12 noon and witness Ganga Aarti while onboard a Ro-Ro Vessel at around 6 pm on 13 December. On 14 December, at around 3:30 pm, Prime Minister Modi will attend the 98th-anniversary celebrations of Sadguru Sadafaldeo Vihangam Yog Sansthan at Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi.
During the two-day visit, the prime minister will also participate in a conclave of chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand along with deputy chief ministers from Bihar and Nagaland. The conclave will provide an opportunity to share governance-related best practices and is in line with the prime minister’s vision of furthering team India spirit.
With inputs from PIB
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