New Delhi: The long-pending demand of the people to bring Shri Ambaji temple, one of the 51st Shakti Peethas, on the railway map is likely to become a reality with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving its nod for construction of railway link from Taranga Hill to Abu Road via the temple town of northern Gujarat.
The shrine of Shri Ambaji, located near Rajasthan boarder, is regarded as a revered shrine by Shakta Shaktim sect of Hinduism. It is believed that the heart of Sati Devi has fallen there. Shakti Peethas have come up on the places where body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi were believed to have fallen when being carried by Lord Shiva in sorrow after her death.
Currently, the devotees on pilgrimage to Shri Ambaji temple town have to cover the distance of more than 390km by road from the nearest railway station of Abu Road under the North Western Railway zone.
Officials said that the new rail line, to be constructed by Ministry of Railways at an estimated cost of Rs.2798.16 crore, will have the total length of 116.65 kms. The project will be completed by 2026-27, and is likely to generate direct employment during construction for about 40 lakh mandays.
The construction of this line will facilitate easy travel for these millions of devotees, who throng Shri Ambaji temple and other adjacent places of religious importance, every year. Further, the devotees visiting the Ajitnath Jain temple (one of the 24 holy Jain Tirthankaras) at Taranga Hill would also be greatly benefitted by this connectivity.
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This railway new line, connecting two important religious spots of Taranga Hill and Ambaji, will facilitate faster movement of agricultural and local products and also provide improved mobility of the people in the region within the state of Gujarat and Rajasthan and also to other parts of the country.
This project will also provide alternative route for existing Ahmedabad-Abu Road railway line. The alignment of the proposed doubling will traverse through Sirohi district of Rajasthan and Banaskantha and Mahesana districts of Gujarat. The construction of new rail line will attract investment and lead to overall socio-economic development of the region.
National Commission for Minorities hail CCEA decision
Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities Iqbal Singh Lalpura and Members of the Commission have congratulated the Prime Minister for approving Taranga Hill-Ambaji-Abu Road new rail line. They said the Taranga Hill is a pilgrimage center for the Jains, wherein there are about 19 temples, out of which one temple (Jinalaya) is of Bhagwan Ajitnath Tirthankar. The said rail line would not only facilitate the faster movements of the people, but also allow the Jain devotees to visit and have a darshan of the above referred temples particularly that of Ajitnath, who is our second Tirthankara.
“The National Commission for Minorities on behalf of the entire Jain Community, which is highly respected minority community in India, highly appreciate such an act of our Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. The said project will also fulfil the almost 100 years old demand of Jain minority community, which has been on the peaceful agitation since 1930,” a Press communique said.
