On Tuesday, October 11, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, which has been constructed on the basis of “Shiv Leela” (108 murals and 93 statues illustrating stories relating to Lord Shiva).
The event started with PM Modi performing puja at Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple in Madhya Pradesh. Speaking on the occasion later, PM Modi said, “Phase I of the project will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world-class modern amenities.” PM Modi was accompanied by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
After Varanasi’s Vishwanath temple and Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath shrine, Mahakal temple is the third ‘jyotirlinga’ temple to undergo extensive renovations under the Modi government. The Rs 800-crore Mahakal corridor is four times the size of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, which was inaugurated late last year by the Prime Minister.
Mahakal Maharaj Mandir Parisar Vistar Yojna is a plan for the expansion, beautification, and decongestion of the Mahakaleshwar temple and its adjoining area in the Ujjain district. The redevelopment project is being carried out in two phases. While the first phase of the Mahakal Temple expansion project has been completed as per the schedule and was inaugurated by the Prime Minister today, reports suggest that the entire project would be complete by June 2023.
In fact in January this year, the Madhya Pradesh government vouched for the development of Ujjain’s Mahakal Temple ahead of the Mahashivratri festival on March 1. “The Teerth in Ujjain will be developed in such a way that there will be a feeling of grandeur and divinity. Necessary works will be completed soon to increase the beauty of the city”, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan had tweeted.
The Mahakaleshwar Corridor’s first phase has been completed at a cost of Rs 350 crore while the total cost of the project is around 850 crores. Notably, the state budget of the Mahakal Temple Expansion Project is Rs 421 crores with the rest coming from the centre government. The management will further contribute Rs 21 crore to the project.
According to the plan, the 2.82-hectare Mahakaleshwar temple grounds will be expanded to 47 hectares and developed by the Ujjain district administration over two phases. Rudrasagar Lake, which covers 17 hectares, will be a part of this. The initiative is anticipated to boost city foot traffic from the existing 1.50 crore to about 3 crores annually.
Read More at https://www.opindia.com/2022/10/pm-modi-inaugurates-first-phase-of-shri-mahakaleshwar-temple-corridor-ujjain/