काश्यां हि काशते काशी, काशी सर्वप्रकाशिका।
सा काशी विदिता येन, तेन प्राप्ताहि काशिका।।
The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, which is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project, will be dedicated to the nation on December 13, 2021. There is an atmosphere of celebration in the city. There is divinity… there is grandeur and also the living spirituality of Kashi. Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple was demolished by Islamic ruler Aurangzeb in 1669. Since then, it was shadowed by the mosque, which we know today as Gyanvapi Masjid.
The Kashi Vishwanath temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingams and a prime shrine for the Hindu faith, once a grand temple, was surrounded by encroachments and chaos. Now, the same area has everything in order. Watch the video of a group of pilgrims visiting from South India to the Kashi Corridor.
ये है मोदी का नया काशी
— Ajit Jha (@JhaAjitk) December 11, 2021
यह दृश्य काशी विश्वनाथ मंदिर का है। श्रद्धालु दक्षिण भारत के हैं। ठसाठस और भीड़ वाले उस मंदिर को अब भूल जाइए क्योंकि अब काशी कॉरिडोर में 2 लाख श्रद्धालु एक साथ जमा हो सकते हैं। #काशी_यात्रा pic.twitter.com/xmIMjDWosI
Those who have seen Kashi Vishwanath temple before the Corridor project started have witnessed the chaos. For them, the site is now no less than a dream. The Prime Minister’s dream project, his resolution to build a grant corridor to connect Maa Ganga to Vishwanath Mandir, took 33 months to become a reality. On March 8, 2019, PM Modi had laid the foundation of the corridor project. The chief architect of the project is Bimal Patel. He was also behind the Sabarmati River Front project and Central Vista Project.
On Monday, Prime Minister Modi would worship Kaal Biarav before taking the waterway route in Ganga Mata to the Baba Vishwanath temple. Upon reaching the temple, he would perform Jalabhishek. It is noteworthy that the stairs that PM Modi would take to enter the ‘Lalita Ghat’ would be used by the devotees to reach directly to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
।श्री काशी विश्वनाथो विजयतेतराम।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) December 12, 2021
आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री जी के मार्गदर्शन में काशी का पुरातन गौरव पुनर्स्थापित हो रहा है… pic.twitter.com/QGTIMTvHyl
On December 9, OpIndia arrived at the Kashi Vishwanath corridor to take stock of the preparations and talk to the locals about the project. The construction around the corridor is still going on. The corridor covers over 5.2 lakh square feet in area, and the final touches are being given to the corridor ahead of the inauguration.
How is the corridor?
Piyush Tiwari, Information Public Relations Officer, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, talked to OpIndia. He informed that the corridor between Lalita Ghat and Vishwanath temple complex had been named ‘Mandir Chowk’. He said, “The Prime Minister will inaugurate the corridor from here. This is the largest part of the corridor. We can also stop the devotees in this part in case of overcrowding so that there is no chaos in the temple. Emporiums have been built in this part.”
The grand corridor covering 5.3 lakh square feet
The corridor is spread over an area of 5.2 lakh square feet. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple premises is spread over 33,075 square feet. At any given point, around two lakh people can gather in this corridor. Seven special stones have been used in the corridor’s construction, including the red sandstone of Makrana, Chunar. There are rest houses, museums, security rooms and libraries that are part of the corridor. Special space has been created for the plantation throughout the corridor. Trees like Parijat, Rudraksha, Ashok, Bel etc., will be planted in these so that the entire campus remains green.
Tiwari said, “Earlier, the total area of the temple complex was around 3,500 square feet. Before buying the houses, we did a drone survey of the area. During that survey, we noticed several old temples. When we started the construction, we made sure that the devotees coming to the premises should get all the facilities to reach the religious place.” He explained, “There is a passenger facilitation centre next to the main gate. After the security check, the devotees will enter the temple premises. Four gates covering the four directions have been constructed. The complex is made of red stone of Chunar. The floor is made of white marble of Makrana. Tree plantation is yet to be done in this complex. Entry is also available from the side of the Ganga ghat.
Facilities available in the corridor
Tiwari said that three passenger facilitation centres had been set up in the entire corridor. Apart from this, guest houses, religious book sales centre, refreshment centre, city museum, Varanasi gallery, Mumukshu Bhawan etc., have been built in the corridor. Both the City Museum and the Varanasi Bhawan are museums that serve different purposes. A café has also been built inside the corridor. There is the Ganga View Gallery, where one can sit and see the complete view of the river. Also, there is Emporium, which would have showrooms of GI products.”
The main objective of doing this project is to provide facilities to the devotees. During Mondays of Sawan and Shivratri, around 2.5 to three lakh devotees come for Darshan. The whole city and entire pathways to the temple get jammed. People had to cover a distance of at least three-four KMs to reach the temple. “Now, after taking a bath in the Ganga, devotees will directly enter the corridor. They will perform Jalabhishek of Baba and go out into the city. At any point, at least 10,000 people can come to the temple complex,” he said.
Deepak Aggarwal, Commissioner, Varanasi, said that the board that was constituted for this corridor purchased a total of 314 houses. When demolition of these houses started, the authorities found 40 ancient temples that were encroached upon. He said the biggest challenge was to convince people to leave their properties for the project. But the people were more cooperative than expected and showed faith in the project.
“We have provided transparent and attractive financial propositions. We also considered the socio-economic condition of the families who had to leave their houses for the projects and provided them substantial compensation even for lesser land. The interest of those who had encroached the area was also taken into consideration,” Aggarwal said.
He added that the ancient temples that were found during the demolition were reserved, and repair work is being done on these temples. The devotees would be able to visit these temples as well. It is noteworthy that many smaller temples have been built in the complex. The deities have been restored in the temple complex. While many of these temples have already been opened for the devotees, the final repair work is going on for the rest.
Propaganda vs reality
Ever since the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor project started, all the opposition parties, including Congress, its pet media and the ‘liberal-secular’ gang, have been engaged in propaganda to paint a picture stating the original nature of Kashi is losing its charm. They have been claiming that the temples are being demolished. The propaganda continues on social media platforms. The jealousy of those who did not even believe in the existence of Bhagwan Ram is understandable. How can they accept that a temple that was not visible till yesterday now looks grand? Hindu pride should be restored. When we talked to the locals, their sentiments also manifested in a similar way.
‘The opposition is unable to digest’
Pankaj Dubey is an auto driver. He has been working on the roads of Varanasi for over 25 years. He said, “Kashi Corridor is beautiful. Whatever has happened has happened for good. It is the right thing to have happened. It should have happened a long time ago. It attracts tourists. It is sending a message to the people coming from outside that Kashi is developing.” He added, “It will increase tourism, and the business in the city will grow.” When he talked about the demolition of the temples during construction, he said, “All those who are shouting are from the opposition. They are unable to digest the progress. They also had the budget but did not do the work. Now, when the work is visible, they are spreading false propaganda.”
‘Development of Heritage in Modi-Yogi Raj’
Rohini Verma, who hails from Gaighat in Kashi, is a young artist who is taking training in Gulabi Meenakari, a rare craft from Kashi. She said, “We have temples in every street of Kashi. Earlier, we were not aware of many temples. We have come to know about them from the construction of the corridor. Earlier, there were houses very close to the temple, due to which the temple was hidden. Now there is a lot of space behind the temple. No matter how many people gather, there is space to manage the crowd and hold rituals. It is also convenient to have Darshan.”
She added, “Under the Modi-Yogi government, things related to our soil, heritage and crafts are being protected. They were developing. They are being encouraged. Now people are learning about them, and new employment opportunities are being created.”
‘What didn’t happen in 70 years? Modi did it in 7 years
Vimlesh Ojha, an elderly person from the city said, “It is much better than before. At this time, Banaras has become heaven. Modi Ji and Yogi Ji’s devotion for Baba is unmatched.” When asked about the propaganda on the construction of the corridor, he said, “It is a political protest. Even if you are doing good, people will find something wrong. According to me, what has not happened in 70 years, Modi Ji has done in seven years. The work is in progress. Even if you go to the streets, you will see how much change has happened.”
‘It is the heritage of Kashi and the country’
Acharya Subodh Shastri has been a priest in the Kashi Vishwanath temple since 2007. He says, “The temple has been transformed without any tampering. With the increase in space, the arrangement of the temple became much better. We had never imagined that Baba Mandir would be rejuvenated in such an elegant way. The complex will be so big. Baba Vishwanath chose a man who made it all happen.” He said, “It is the heritage of Kashi and the whole country. Now people from all over the country and abroad will come happily and leave happily. They won’t be in trouble.”
‘Tourism will be developed through the corridor’
Harshit Pallav, a resident of Kashi and a travel blogger, said, “Since childhood, we have been roaming in these streets. We have seen Baba so many times. Until 2019, houses were built adjacent to Baba Mandir and the narrow streets leading to the temple were choked. It was not possible to understand where the road would come from. Now everything is organized. Tourism will develop through this corridor. If change if for the better, there is nothing wrong with that.”
‘I couldn’t imagine what I saw’
Rohit Kumar Tripathi is also from Varanasi. He said, “Earlier those who used to come for Darshan faced a lot of trouble. There was complete encroachment around the temple. We never imagined what we are seeing today. All this had to happen. This development is increasing the prestige of Kashi.”
Gyanvapi Masjid… When would Kashi be liberated?
Vyalok Pathak, a Journalist, said, “Everyone knows how barbarians of the desert vanquished the Hindus by putting cows in the front. They destroyed temples. They broke the idols. They raped women and destroyed the consciousness of the Hindus.” What Pathak was saying is linked to the decree issued by Aurangzeb on April 18, 1669, to demolish Kashi Vishwanath Temple. On September 2, 1669, Aurangzeb was informed that the temple had been demolished.
Gyanvapi Mosque now stands confined in a corner. It may not be visible from outside the Kashi Corridor, but the reality is that it is adjacent to the temple premises itself. It is a reminder of the Islamic barbarism that Hindus have suffered. We should also remember the vow that was taken to liberate Kashi and Mathura along with Ayodhya. Until this task is pending, every Hindu should ask himself, When would Kashi be liberated?
