India (Commonwealth Union)_ Phase 1 of the 900-meter-long Mahakal Lok corridor project was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain. The entire cost of the project is INR 856 crore, with the initial phase costing INR 351 crore to build. Modi, together with Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangu Bhai Patel and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, pressed the remote button and opened the Shivling and dedicated the Mahakal Lok to the country. Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also attended the event.
Later, while addressing the crowd, PM Modi stated that Ujjain has remained an example of India’s wealth and expertise for millennia. He said: “Spirituality is contained in every particle and divine energy is being transmitted in every corner of Ujjain”. He added: “Innovation comes with renovation. India is renovating what it had lost in the era of slavery. India is renovating it and restoring its glory”.
According to the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Phase I of the Mahakal Lok project aims to enhance the temple-visiting experience of pilgrims by providing them with modern and high-quality services. The project intends to decongest the whole neighborhood, with a focus on the preservation and repair of historic structures. Under this plan, the temple precinct will be enlarged nearly sevenfold.
According to the PMO, the temple’s present footfall, which is about 1.5 crore now, is likely to double once the renovation is done. The Mahakaleshwar temple has one of India’s twelve Jyotirlingas. The corridor features around 108 visually elegant sandstone pillars depicting the Anand Tandav Swaroop of Lord Shiva’s dance form, as well as 200 sculptures and paintings of Lord Shiva and goddess Shakti. Before the inauguration of the corridor construction, Modi offered prayers at the shrine.
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The Plaza space, which encompasses 2.5 hectares, is ringed by a lotus pond and has a Shiva statue and fountains. In Ujjain, Prime Minister Modi also did puja at the Lord Mahakal shrine. PM Modi, dressed in a traditional dhoti and gamcha (scarf), entered the Lord Mahakal temple’s sanctum sanctorum at around 6 pm. He performed meditation for ten minutes in the sanctum sanctorum while holding a bel patra (leaves of the bel tree), which are considered holy to Lord Shiva, and a Rudraskh mala.
