Varanasi (UP), April 9 (). The rejuvenation of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor has opened doors for a new Kashi. The Ganga is close to the historical Kashi Vishwanath Dham and the barriers of mythology have been removed.
Earlier, devotees had to walk through narrow lanes to reach the sanctum sanctorum of the Kashi Vishwanath temple and then take another route to take a dip in the river Ganga.
The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor has ensured direct access from the temple to the river Ganga.
A local priest Pandit Vipin Acharya said, according to mythology, Lord Shiva had tied his hair to Mother Ganga to reduce her force and prevent her from harming people on earth. Since then the relationship between the Lord and Mother Ganga has remained sacred. The new corridor brings Mother Ganga, again, to Lord Shiva.
A 20-25 feet wide corridor now connects Lalita Ghat to Mandir Chowk across the Ganga.
Under the project, the area around the temple has been increased from 3 thousand to 5 lakh square feet.
Around 40 temples around here have been restored to their original glory and 23 buildings have been added to the structure providing various facilities.
With the completion of the project, pilgrims will no longer have to walk through congested lanes to visit the temple, as it will be directly visible and easily accessible from the Ganges.
Built at a cost of Rs 339 crore, the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor connects various ghats including Dashashwamedh Ghat, one of the iconic and oldest ghats.
Bimal Patel, the project’s architect, said Prime Minister Modi wanted the corridor to enable devotees to walk directly to the temple after receiving water from the Ganges. The corridor should be a link between the Ganga and the temple. We gave it grandeur according to the vision of Prime Minister Modi.
More importantly, the original structure of the Kashi Vishwanath temple has not been tampered with, it has been left intact, he said. The corridor has enhanced facilities for tourists and beautified the temple complex.
During the construction of the corridor, workers often found fragments of small temples or idols installed by unknown people over the decades from homes and commercial establishments. Officials said many of these shrines have been preserved and will be displayed in the main gallery of the complex.
Atul Tripathi of the Banaras Hindu University said the corridor would give a glimpse into the sculptural art and architectural history of the temples over 300 years, as 41 temples, which were found in buildings that were bought and demolished, have been preserved.
Despite the pandemic, the project has been completed in a record period of three years.
With the completion of the project, Varanasi has also witnessed a sea change.
While the Kashi Vishwanath corridor was a dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who represents Varanasi in the Lok Sabha, the development is not limited to the temple alone.
The Rudraksha Convention Center has been built to facilitate business conventions and tourism in the city.
The building has a seating capacity of 1,200 people and is designed like a Shivling. It has 108 Rudraksha on its face.
With modern amenities like art galleries, multi-purpose pre-function areas, divisible meeting rooms, it has become a major tourist attraction of the city.
The Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul, a trade facilitation center for weavers, craftsmen and artisans from Varanasi, opened in 2017, serves as a public space and a marketing platform for local artisans.
Spread over 550,000 sq ft, the mega facelift project comprises 24 buildings. It includes an emporium, a museum, a kitchen, a Vedic library, a repository of ancient texts, a city gallery and a food court.
Varanasi has also got two very important road and connectivity projects, the Varanasi Ring Road and the Babatpur-Varanasi road. Among the projects started at a total cost of Rs 1,572 crore, the 16.55 km long Ring Road Phase-I is being constructed at a cost of Rs 759 crore.
Four-laning of 17.25 km Babatpur-Varanasi road is being constructed at a cost of Rs 812 crore. The Ring Road will provide easy access to the Buddhist pilgrimage center Sarnath.
The six-laning of Varanasi to Prayagraj section of NH-19 has been designed to reduce traffic congestion in the area for Varanasi bound vehicles.
Manduadih Railway Station in Varanasi has been revamped with more advanced facilities, cafeteria, booking rooms, lounge etc. The railway station, which looks like a modern airport, is now filled with more tourists than passengers.
BHU Trauma Center has been upgraded for emergency services. Keeping in view the convenience of the people of the city and surrounding areas, two cancer hospitals Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Hospital and Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital are being constructed.
Smart signages with Quick Response (QR) codes have been provided at famous heritage sites in the city. On one scan, the code will provide a tourist with all the necessary information and history of any place. It will also provide more information about the culture that developed around the 84 ancient Ghats and sites of Varanasi.
LED screens throughout the city display information for tourists including Kashi’s history, architecture and art. The famous Ganga Aarti and Aarti of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple are also shown on screens across the city.
Local resident Suryakant Nagar said, “Initially we were apprehensive about the changes but the Prime Minister has made the impossible possible. We could never have imagined that Kashi Vishwanath Dham would ever look like this.
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