<p>Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the renovated temple complex which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saw a record footfall on the first day of the new year with over five lakh devotees thronging the holy place, official sources said on Sunday.</p>.<p>Even on <em>Mahashivratri</em>, considered the most auspicious day to visit the temple in Varanasi, the devotees' numbers never exceeded 2.5 lakh, they added.</p>.<p>"Local administration was up for a surprise on January 1 when more than 5 lakh people thronged the Kashi Vishwanath temple. For them, this number was unprecedented. They were expecting a best case number of not more than 1 lakh," a source said. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/fact-check-did-shah-jahan-chop-off-the-hands-of-taj-mahal-workers-1064616.html" target="_blank">Fact check: Did Shah Jahan chop off hands of Taj Mahal workers?</a></strong></p>.<p>Such a huge number of people turning up on a non-festival day at the temple shows the immense enthusiasm among people across the country to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Dham after Modi inaugurated it, the sources noted. </p>.<p>The local administration in Varanasi is now requesting devotees, especially VIPs, to stagger their visit to the dham to ensure proper crowd management. </p>.<p>The prime minister had last month inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, a project which is spread over five lakh square feet and connects the temple premises to the River Ganga besides providing several facilities to devotees.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the renovated temple complex which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saw a record footfall on the first day of the new year with over five lakh devotees thronging the holy place, official sources said on Sunday.</p>.<p>Even on <em>Mahashivratri</em>, considered the most auspicious day to visit the temple in Varanasi, the devotees' numbers never exceeded 2.5 lakh, they added.</p>.<p>"Local administration was up for a surprise on January 1 when more than 5 lakh people thronged the Kashi Vishwanath temple. For them, this number was unprecedented. They were expecting a best case number of not more than 1 lakh," a source said. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read: <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/fact-check-did-shah-jahan-chop-off-the-hands-of-taj-mahal-workers-1064616.html" target="_blank">Fact check: Did Shah Jahan chop off hands of Taj Mahal workers?</a></strong></p>.<p>Such a huge number of people turning up on a non-festival day at the temple shows the immense enthusiasm among people across the country to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Dham after Modi inaugurated it, the sources noted. </p>.<p>The local administration in Varanasi is now requesting devotees, especially VIPs, to stagger their visit to the dham to ensure proper crowd management. </p>.<p>The prime minister had last month inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, a project which is spread over five lakh square feet and connects the temple premises to the River Ganga besides providing several facilities to devotees.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>