Kashi Vishwanath Corridor

A Dream Project of PM Narendra Modi

Kashi has always been a central part of PM’s development programs. The Prime Minister had taken several steps in the development of Kashi. From cleaning the river Ganga to the construction of roads, his motto “Swachh Kashi Sundar Kashi” literally showcases the important steps taken by the PM.

The Kashi Vishwanath corridor is the dream project of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi Ji. He monitored the construction process of this corridor. PM Narendra Modi also had a 3-D structure of the Vishwanath temple. Using this 3-D model, he was monitoring the entire building process of the corridor during the time of the pandemic.

The construction work was done without any looseness and thus the project was completed at the estimated time period.

A Glance to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor

The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project was initiated on 8 March 2019, and the building cost of this project is 339 crores. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is responsible for evaluating each level of the project personally. The Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor is spread in an area of 5 lakh square feet. However earlier the temple premises were limited to only 3000 square feet. Therefore, about 50000 -75000 devotees can enter the temple premises without creating a crowd.

The constructed corridor is 75 feet wide which connects the temple premises directly with the Lalita ghat. The temple is now visible from the ghat, people can take water from the river Ganga and offer it to God. The architectural project was headed by Bimal Patel.

The lightening of the temple adds a different level of beauty to the temple. The blue theme lighting is done in order to keep the heritage of the temple alive.

After the successful completion of this project, phase I of the Kashi Vishwanath corridor was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on 13 December 2021.

Aim of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor

The main purpose behind the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor was to provide the devotees with a convenient way to worship the god. People can now take bath in the holy river and through a direct route to the temple they can easily worship the god.

For the convenience of senior citizens and physically disabled people, an escalator facility is also available. Therefore, people will not have to face the heavy crowd to enter the temple. However, the beauty of the temple is preserved. No tempering is done with the architecture of the temple. The corridor is constructed by keeping the ancient sculptures undisturbed.

Kashi – The City of Saints and Temples

Kashi is the ancient city of India and is considered among the seven Moksha Puris. It is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh on the bank of the holy river Ganga. Kashi is now known by other names like Banaras or Varanasi. Kashi is famous for its rich culture, tradition, and spirituality. The lands of Kashi are considered pure, people believe that dying in the land of Kashi and cremating at the river Ganga will help them to achieve ‘Moksha’.

In Rigveda, the collection of Sanskrit hymns was called ‘Kashi’, that’s how the city got its name which depicts the ‘city of lights’. The name ‘Varanasi’was taken from the river Varuna and Assi ghat.

Kashi is famous for its ghats. Dashashwamedh Ghat, Assi ghat, Harishchandra ghat, Manikarnika ghat, etc are among the famous ghats of Kashi. Ramnagar fort, Kashi Vishwanath temple, Sankat Mochan temple, Bharat Mata Mandir, Sarnath, TulsiManas Mandir, etc are the famous places visited by the tourists. The famous university, BHU (Banaras Hindu University) is situated in Kashi, now Varanasi.

Kashi is the land of many famous writers like TulsiDas, Kabir Das, and Ravidas. Other notable artists of Kashi were Bismillah Khan, Girija Devi, Sitara Devi, LalmaniMisra, etc.

Vishwanath Temple – Golden Temple

One of the oldest temple of Lord Shiva is Kashi Vishwanath Temple, situated in Varanasi. It is among one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. The Kashi Vishwanath temple is situated on the bank of river Ganga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Every year millions of devotees register their arrival in this temple. The main deity of this temple is ‘Vishweshwara’ (lord of the universe) another name of Lord Shiva.

Kashi is mostly famous for the Vishwanath temple. On average, the temple receives almost 3000 visitors every day. The temple is located in the congested lane of the Vishwanath Galli located near the Dashashwamedh ghat. The Jyotirlinga in the temple has a circumference of 90 centimeters with a height of 60 centimeters. The three domes of the temple are surrounded by many other shrines of God.

Annapurna (Goddess of food) temple is situated near the Vishwanath temple. It was constructed by Peshwa Bajirao in the 18th century. The Kaal Bhairav temple is also situated near the Vishwanath temple. It is one of the oldest temples of Varanasi whose exact construction date is not known.

Most of the devotees take bath in the holy river Ganga and then move to the temple to worship God. But due to the excessive crowd and lean routes, people found it difficult to visit the temple properly. This led to the idea of reconstruction of the temple premises.

Reviving History of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Only dreaming of something will not help you to achieve the goal, you also have to be well prepared for the consequences. Similarly, the decision to build the corridor had involved various secondary issues. However, it was not an easy job to construct the temple corridor. There were many difficulties in the path of construction.

The major challenge was space. Varanasi is the oldest city with an unplanned locality structure. The congested lanes of the area created many hurdles during the construction work. It was also the main concern that the sewer lines or supply of the electricity is not harmed.

Due to the overcrowded population near the temple, it was very difficult to rehabilitate people and property. About 1400 people and shopkeepers along with various properties were shifted. Another problem was the negotiation; it was not an easy task to convince people to shift. Other problems like many buildings belonging to the religious bodies or the owners are not available at the moment were also included.

Another challenge was to rebuild the temple premises without affecting its beauty and culture. Besides this construction process, another major concern was that the entry of the devotees should not be interrupted. However, the emergence of the Corona pandemic added another challenge to this task.

Other Expected Changes

To boost the tourist attraction in the Kashi, various other plans are also implemented. The Ganga cruise will be started for tourists. Led screens would be placed everywhere that will represent the art and culture of the Kashi. It will help tourists to understand the history and architecture of the city.

There will be an air-conditioned waiting hall in the Banaras (formerly as Manduadih) railway station. The Vishwanath temple aarti and the Ganga aarti will be shown on screens throughout the city.

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Corridor – The Complete Project

Along with the construction of the corridor, 23 new buildings were also constructed for the convenience of tourists and other devotees. The temple now has the following facilities:

• Temple Premises : The temple premise is the center of the tourist attraction. Seven gates were constructed. The use of various stones and marbles provides a good look at the temple.
• Yatri Suvidha Kendra : Under the YatriSuvidha Kendra, there will be a security check and locker facility for the devotees in the Vishwanath temple.
• Shopping Complex : Now the premises will have shops of necessary things that are required in worship. This will also increase business and employment.
• Varanasi Gallery : The Varanasi gallery is spread in an area of 375 square meters. It is situated near the Varuneshwar Mahadev mandir between the city museum and the multipurpose hall.
• City Museum : This building is situated in 1143 square meters and is situated between the MumukshuBhawan and Varanasi Gallery. It is constructed with the aim to provide information to the visitors regarding ancient things (antique).
• MumukshuBhawan : The mumukshu bhawan covers an area of 1161 square meter. This building is created for the elders and unhealthy devotees. It contains wards and beds. For their convenience lifts and escalators are also built.
• Vedic Center: The Vedic Center is spread over 986 square meters. It is constructed for the organization of various spiritual events, functions, and ceremonies.
• Guest House : The Guest House is created for tourists who want to stay. It covers an area of 1962 square meters.
• Multi-purpose Hall : It is situated near the Manikarnika crossroad and covers an area of 976 square meters. It can hold upto 200-300 people at a time. It is basically constructed to carry out public service works. It also has the facility of an escalator.
• Tourist FacilitationCenter : The main aim of the tourist facilitation center is to construct a hall in the Manikarnika ghat to arrange woods and other things. It will be the center for all the pilgrims coming to the ghats.
• Toilet block : Toilets are constructed for the convenience of tourists.
• Food Court : It holds the sitting arrangement for the pilgrims where they can sit and enjoy the meal.
• Book Stall : It is situated near the Varanasi Gallery and City Museum. It covers an area of 311 square meters which holds the bookstalls containing spiritual books and other stalls.
• Ganga View Cafe : The View Cafe will help tourists as well as other pilgrims to enjoy the beautiful view of the holy river Ganga. The cafe will allow you to enjoy food in a pleasurable environment.