Varanasi: In the symbolic background of India, the Bharat Mata statue made of stone, the statues of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar and Saint Adi Shankaracharya have been installed in the vast complex of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first phase of the ambitious Kashi Vishwanath corridor project on Monday, hours later. This is expected to increase the number of tourists to the ancient city.
The Prime Minister’s Office tweeted at around 10.45 am, “Prime Minister has reached Varanasi sometime back.” He was received at the airport by Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The foundation stone of this grand corridor was laid on March 8, 2019, which connects the main temple to Lalita Ghat through a corridor. Grand entrance gates and ornamental arches have been built in the heritage architectural style on its four directions. This corridor is now called Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
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Varanasi District Officer Kaushal Raj Sharma said on Sunday, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi will enter Kashi Vishwanath Dham from the ghat side and inaugurate the corridor. He will visit the premises of the new corridor and visit the buildings there. The event will be held in the presence of saints who have come in large numbers from all parts of the country….” The present structure of the temple was built by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar around 1780 and in the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh built its ‘shikhar’ of gold.
On this occasion, to pay tribute to the queen of Holkar, huge posters of Queen Ahilyabai have been put up in the courtyard of the corridors. Part of the new corridor project, there is a giant mural of Ahilyabai within the Banaras corridor, while to the right of the corridor passage leading from the ghat, a statue of the queen in a seated pose has been installed. The statue of Saint Adi Shankaracharya has been installed near the statue of Ahilyabai. The huge corridor now also houses a stone statue of Mother India, which has been carved and a tricolor is also installed.
The map of India is depicted on a metal surface depicting the country’s art and cultural heritage. The city, which has been Prime Minister Modi’s constituency since 2014, has been lavishly decorated ahead of the ‘Divya Kashi Bhavya Kashi’ event, especially the roads leading to the holy site in and around Godoliya Chowk. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, despite the outbreak of the COVID-19 global epidemic, the work of this project has been completed on time. (agency)