NEW DELHI: The Ancient India gave the world not only the concept of divinity and faith; it also led the world in the field of science and research. The New India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is forging ahead by reviving the traditions of science and research along with faith to emerge as a global superpower.
“In order to reach the pinnacle of success, it is necessary that the nation touches its cultural heights and stands proudly with its identity,” PM Modi said while dedicating to the nation ‘Shri Mahakal Lok’, the first phase of the Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor, in the holy city of Ujjain. He was speaking at a widely televised event after performing prayers at the Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of the most revered shrines of Lord Shiva in the country.
Named after the presiding deity of the temple, Shri Mahakal Lok marks the completion of the first phase of an ambitious Rs. 800-core project to expand and improve the temple precinct and its environment. The Prime Minister said the development of the new complex was a continuation of India reclaiming its cultural heritage and reasserting pride in its history.
”This Mahakal will encourage India’s tradition and culture and give it new life,” he said. “Where there is innovation, there will be renovation. In this period of Independence, India’s glory was being reconstructed,” he said. “During the Azadi Ka Amrit Kaal, we broke the shackles of colonialism with the spirit of Panch Pran representing freedom from the mentality of slavery and pride in our heritage,” PM Modi asserted.
For the first time, Char Dhams are being connected with all-weather roads, a grand temple of Lord Ram is coming up at Ayodhya and Vishwanath Dham in Kashi is adding pride to the cultural capital of India. Development works are setting new records in Somnath. New chapters of development are being written in the Kedarnath-Badrinath pilgrimage area. The Kartarpur Sahib corridor has been opened and Hemkunt Sahib is going to be connected through ropeway. “The pride of many such centres of our spiritual consciousness is being restored across the country with the help of Swadesh Darshan and Prasad Yojana. And now in this series, this grand ‘Mahakaal Lok’ is also ready to welcome the future with the glory of the past”, the Prime Minister said.
The redeveloped Mahakal corridor is dotted with 108 ornate sandstone columns in a row bearing decorative ‘trishul’ design on top and ‘mudras’ of Lord Shiva on its faces and has gushing fountains surrounded by artistic sculptures of the deity and 53 illuminated murals depicting stories from the Shiv Puran.
Phase-I of the Mahakal Lok project will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world-class modern amenities. It also aims to decongest the entire area and put special emphasis on the conservation and restoration of heritage structures.
