Development of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor - An odyssey of Narendra Modi

 

PM Modi has had a long history of association and a deep connection with the religious and spiritual city of Kashi. Long before he became PM and started representing Varanasi in Parliament, he had several opportunities to visit the holy abode of Baba Vishwanath. While each subsequent visit further strengthened the bond of the PM with the city, it also further fuelled his desire to contribute towards spiritual regeneration of the city and to return the city its lost grandeur.

When PM came to kashi to fill his nomination for elections, he said the now immortal lines “न मैं यहाँ आया हूँ न यहाँ लाया गया हूँ मुझे माँ गंगा ने बुलाया है।” With this in mind, he set on a path of rebuilding the city. The fruits of his labour soon became visible with the development of infrastructure and 360 degree transformation of Kashi. But, it was the lifelong dream of PM Modi to contribute towards helping Kashi Vishwanath Mandir attain the aura of the past. With this, he embarked on the odyssey of development of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.

Restoring the lost tradition

Kashi had centuries old परंपराof people taking a bath in River Ganga, carrying water from the holy river and offering Gangajal at the temple. Over the centuries, due to rampant construction and encroachment in the adjoining area, this परंपराstarted becoming lost. The unabated construction also made reaching the temple and darshan an arduous task for the devotees. It had been a desire of PM Modi for a long time to restore the age old परंपरा. To achieve this, PM Modi conceptualized the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor to link River Ganga with Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Facilitating Pilgrims

PM’s idea of the corridor centred on preserving the spiritual fervour of the pilgrims that was hindered by the clogged streets and dirty surroundings when they moved from Ganga ghat to the Temple. PM's vision was to transform this corridor in such a way that it would not only preserve the spiritual fervour of the pilgrims but also go beyond their expectations so that their minds are filled with joy. So he asked the architects - “ऐसा एक रास्ता बनाओ की मन प्रफुल्लित हो जाये, कोई भी pilgrim का”. With this in mind, the work for the Corridor started.