Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the first phase of the Rs 339 crore Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project connecting the Kashi Vishwanath temple with the Ganga ghats in what he termed as a “historic day” for the holy city of Varanasi and the country.
The Prime Minister took a holy dip in the Ganga and offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple after which he showered flower petals on the workers and engineers who had completed the project in just two years despite the raging pandemic.
Inaugurating the new complex, in the presence of a gathering of 3,000 seers, PM Modi said pilgrims would now find it easier to worship at the holy temple as the area has been expanded to a massive five lakh square feet from a mere 3,000 square feet earlier.
The Prime Minister said that today's India is reviving its lost heritage.
“The Kashi Vishwanath is a revered pilgrimage site throughout the country. Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Maharashtra had helped to rebuild the Kashi Vishwanath temple 250 years after it was destroyed during Moghul rule, and Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab had contributed a huge quantity of gold to beautify the temple in 1833,” he added.
The Prime Minister said, “the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham will give a decisive direction to India and will lead to a brighter future. The new complex is a witness of our capability, of our duty. It shows that nothing is impossible if you are determined.”
He also pointed out that while the country was reviving its rich heritage with the restoration of its holy pilgrimage sites it was also continuing with modern development projects to pave the way for growth with an eye on the future.
“While work is done to beautify the Somnath mandir, a modern optic fibre cable network is also being laid under the sea… While the Ayodhya temple is being built, at the same time several new medical colleges are also being opened in adjoining districts. And while the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project has been completed, crores of “pucca” houses for the poor are also being built in the region,” PM Modi explained.
He said,” in the hands of every Indian, there is that force, which makes the unimaginable come true. No matter how big the challenge, we Indians can defeat it together.”
PM Modi said, “I request every Indian to make three resolutions today for the country. These include cleanliness, creation, and continuous efforts for an Aatam Nirbhar Bharat.”
He pointed out that although India had achieved some progress in cleanliness and various schemes to clean the Ganga were also being implemented, there was still a long way to go and everyone must work harder to achieve this goal.
PM Modi lamented that the “long period of slavery had broken the confidence of us Indians in such a way that we lost faith in our own creation."
"I call upon every fellow countryman – create with full confidence, innovate, do it in an innovative way,” the Prime Minister urged.
#सनातन_धर्म_की_जय_हो#श्री_काशी_विश्वनाथ_धाम_आध्यात्मिक_राजधानी@PMOIndia @UPCMOffice @narendramodi @myogiadityanath @uptourismgov @DharmarthKarya @NeelkanthAd @dmvaranasi2016 @drsunilverma28#ShriKashiVishwanath #Mahadev #corridor #VishwanathDham #inauguration #Varanasi #Kashi pic.twitter.com/9BT6n9GwMX
— Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust (@ShriVishwanath) December 12, 2021
He cited the example of over 40 startup unicorns, each valued above Rs 7,000 crore, that have been created by Indian youth in the last year or so which reflects the great potential that India has.
The Prime Minister said the third resolution that we have to make today is to increase our efforts for making India self-reliant and go vocal for local so that we can take pride in the goods we produce. This constitutes the essence of freedom, he added.
Also read: Development of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor – An odyssey of Narendra Modi
