Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the newly constructed Mahakal Lok, the 1st phase of expansion of Mahakaleshwar temple premises in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain.
The inauguration was done following the rituals and chanting of shlokas and mantras by over hundred Hindu seers.
Clad in traditional ‘dhoti’ and ‘gamcha’ (stole), Prime Minister Modi entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord Mahakaleshwar temple, one of the 12 ‘Jyotirlingas’ of Lord Shiv to perform puja ritual before unveiling the newly developed corridor of the temple.
After the inauguration, PM Modi said that spirituality is contained in every particle and divine energy is being transmitted in every corner of Ujjain. “Ujjain has led India’s prosperity, knowledge, dignity and literature for thousands of years,” he added.
The Prime Minister also congratulated Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for his dedication in making the proposal for expansion of Mahakaleshwar temple.
PM Modi accompanied by CM Chouhan and Madhya Pradesh governor Mangubhai C Patel took a round of the 900 metre corridor, which has been designed with 93 murals of Lord Shiva.
The entire premise has been designed with different avatars of Lord Shiva and walls and poles of the building have been inscripted with shlokas/ mantras defining Shiva.
The grand event is part of the ₹856 crore Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project. The first phase of ‘Mahakal Lok’ has been developed at ₹316 crore.
The more than 900-metre-long ‘Mahakal Lok’ corridor, built as one of the largest such corridors in the country, spreads around the old Rudrasagar Lake which has also been revived as part of the redevelopment project around the famous Mahakaleshwar temple.
Two majestic gateways — Nandi Dwar and Pinaki Dwar –separated by a short distance, have been erected near the starting point of the corridor, which winds its way to the temple’s entrance and offers an aesthetic view along the way.
A colonnade of 108 ornate pillars made of intricately carved sandstones, gushing fountains and a running panel of more than 50 murals depicting stories from the ‘Shiv Puran’ are among the major highlights of the Mahakal Lok.
It was the first phase of developed and the second phase to be completed by August 2024, according to Madhya Pradesh government.
Background
Modi dedicated Phase I of the Mahakal Lok Project to the nation at Shri Mahakal Lok in Ujjain, which will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world-class modern amenities.
The project aims to decongest the entire area and also put special emphasis on the conservation and restoration of heritage structures. Under the project, the temple precinct will be expanded nearly seven times. The existing footfall of the temple, which is currently around 1.5 crore per annum, is expected to be doubled. The development of the project has been planned under two phases.
The Mahakal Path contains 108 stambhs (pillars) which depict Anand Tandav Swaroop (Dance form) of Lord Shiva. Many religious sculptures depicting the life of Lord Shiva are installed along the Mahakal Path. The mural wall along the path is based on stories about the act of creation, the birth of Ganesha, story of Sati and Daksha among others from Shiva Purana. The area of plaza is spread over 2.5 hectares and is surrounded by a lotus pond which contains the statue of Shiva along with water fountains. The entire premise will be monitored 24×7 by Integrated Command and Control Centre with the help of artificial intelligence and surveillance cameras.
(With arrangement from Insightonlinenews)
