Varanasi decked up ahead of Vishwanath corridor inauguration by PM Modi

From massive murals depicting the artistic and cultural heritage of Benares to the illumination of several buildings near the Kashi Vishwanath temple site, Varanasi is all decked up to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday for a host of events.

The main event will be the inauguration of the Phase-1 of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, constructed at a cost of around Rs 339 crore. PM Modi will dedicate to people the ambitious Kashi Vishwanath corridor in the heart of Varanasi after offering prayers at the ancient temple.

Even till late Sunday, construction workers were busy polishing stones, labourers were occupied decking up the temple premises with flowers, especially marigold, and staff rushing things up at Lalita Ghat to make it ready for the function.

There is palpable excitement among a majority of the residents of the temple town and domestic tourists flocking the holy shrine of the Hindus in the run-up to the high-profile event, in view of which the police security in Varanasi has been stepped up.

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The excitement of the inauguration event, branded as 'Divya Kashi, Bhavya Kashi' reached a fever pitch, as a Shiv Barat procession was taken out in the streets near Godowlia Chowk, while owners of many hotels in the area have lit up their properties, with one saying, "It is a historic moment for Kashi and we are fortunate to be part of it".

At the temple site, workers and Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust employees were also eagerly waiting for the day.

Many were seen taking pictures against the backdrop of the old temple or the four new gateways that have been constructed using traditional craftsmanship. Anil Keshri, a retail garment seller, whose shop is at Godowlia Chowk, was brimming with excitement, watching the festooned streets and lit-up buildings.

"Banares is a heart of culture, cradle of civilisation and Kashi Vishwanath ki Nagari. Look at the beautiful decoration, I am very happy and the new corridor will surely bring more tourism and greater glory for my city, and for India," he said, pointing to a 'shobha yatra' poster hung at the famous street intersection.

Near the Varanasi airport in Babatpur, walls of a flyover have been decorated with murals portraying the Ganga aarti, Kashi Vishwanath temple, ghats of Benares and other heritage sites of the city, which is the Parliamentary constituency of Modi since 2014.

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Shrikant Mishra, the main priest of the temple, said, "The coming up of the new corridor is a miraculous moment. Nothing happens in this city without Kashi Vishwanath baba's permission. It's his city. Creation, destruction, recreation, all his will.”

A total of 23 buildings will be inaugurated in the Phase-1 of the project, the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.

These will provide a variety of facilities to pilgrims, including suvidha kendras, tourist facilitation centres, vedic kendras, mumukshu bhavan, bhogshala, city museum, viewing gallery and food court, among others. The scale of the project was such it is now spread over five lakh square feet, whereas earlier premises were limited to just around 3,000 square feet.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the work on the project has been completed on schedule, the PMO said.

Posters have been put up on ornate lampposts in streets near the iconic temple hailing Modi for "realising the vision of this project".

The current structure of the temple was constructed by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar around 1780; in the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had got it crowned with a golden 'shikhara.'

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