Modi inaugurates temple project in own constituency Varanasi

IN a major visit to his constituency Varanasi in the poll-bound northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (13) inaugurated the first phase of Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor project.

The project worth Rs 800 crore (£80 million) connects the iconic Kashi Vishwanath Temple with the ancient holy town’s famous ghats along the river and will help the devotees in moving easily, averting congested roads.

Modi inaugurated the mega project in the presence of 3,000 religious, spiritual gurus, priests of southern Shaivism sects and other dignitaries, including Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his counterparts from a number of other Indian states.

Earlier, the prime minister took a holy dip in River Ganga and offered prayer at the temple.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Varanasi from where he won in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, offered flowers to the holy river and chanted mantras on a rosary. He also took water from the river for the ‘jalabhishek’ at Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

The prime minister arrived at the Lalitha Ghat where the temple is situated on a double-decker cruise. He waved at people who waited to have a glimpse of him at the ghat. He was also set to witness the Ganga Aarti on Monday evening on board a Ro-Ro Vessel.

He also offered prayers at Kaal Bhairav Temple after arriving in Varanasi.

"I am overwhelmed. After some time, we all will witness the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project. Before this, I had darshan of Kaal Bhairav ji, the Kotwal of Kashi," Modi tweeted in Hindi.

He was given a rousing welcome as soon as he reached the ancient city. Supporters chanted ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and showered petals on the leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

His visit also included political programmes as he will take part in a conclave of chief ministers of various states such as Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, etc. and deputy chief ministers from Bihar and Nagaland. At the conclave, the leaders will share views on governance-related practises and are in tune with Modi’s vision of furthering a national spirit.