There is a demolition drive going on in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Parliamentary constituency- Varanasi. These demolition drives are being carried out for the purpose of PM Modi’s dream project- Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor (KVT). The administration has taken over 182 buildings and began the work of demolishing them. So far 40 houses have been demolished and 43 small stunning temples have been found from these demolished houses. However, people are more surprised to see a particular temple which exactly looks like Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
The architecture design of this new found temple is exactly similar to the Kashi Vishwanath temple. In this newfound temple, the size of Nandi (gate-guardian deity of Kailash, the abode of Bhagwan Shiva) is larger than the Nandi of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, and in the lower bottom part of the temple, there is a depiction of a chariot. There is also a depiction of keechak on the pillars of the temple. The other temples also which have been found in the process of demolition drive are an example of fine carvings and amazing architecture.
Niral Sinha from Archaeological Survey of India said that they are trying level best to know that how ancient these temples are. Apparently, these temples may be of the 18th or 19th century, however by seeing some temples, it seems that they are almost a thousand years old. These temples will be restored during the construction of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor and the administration will also write about the history of these newfound temples on a plaque outside of every temple. These latest findings tell us why Kashi is called the city of temples. These newfound temples are going to contribute to strengthening the rich cultural heritage of Kashi.
The BJP government initiated the KVT corridor project to ease the pilgrimage. The KVT corridor is being developed between the Lalita ghat and Manikarnika ghat on the bank of holy river Ganga. Once the project is completed, then pilgrims can reach the temple directly from the western ghat of Ganga. As of now, nearly 3,000 thousand pilgrims visit the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple every day, and in order to do so, they walk through narrow and congested serpentine lanes. Once completed, KVT corridor would ease the pilgrimage. The total cost of this project is 600 crores.
KVT chief executive officer and Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) secretary Vishal Singh said, “The 56 meters wide corridor will be over 300 meters in length. We have surveyed and mapped the localities between Neelkanth Gate-Manikarnika Ghat and Saraswati Phatak-Lalita Ghat. A total of 166 buildings have been identified between both the routes.”
The authorities have identified 269 houses and have bought 182 of them and the process of demolishing them is going on. So far, 43 houses have been demolished. Rehabilitation of the tenants and shopkeepers is duly being taken care of by the government.
Once PM Modi’s dream project- KVT corridor- is completed, it will contribute significantly to the transformation of Varanasi, and tourism in the city will also get a major boost. Since PM Modi became MP from Varanasi; it has underwent an overhaul. PM Modi has truly transformed his constituency in just 4.5 years.