KV Corridor gets finishing touches as inauguration nears
VARANASI : Finishing touches are being given to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor that connects the Ganga and the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
This spacious corridor to reach the ancient temple from the Ganga ghat directly is not only a marvel of architectural design, but has also changed the entire landscape of the complex.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the KV Corridor on December 13 and Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board (SKVSADB) has started preparations for it.
SKVSADB chief executive officer Sunil Verma said, “There are 24 buildings in the KV corridor. All 24 buildings have been constructed. Finishing touches are being given. The KV corridor will be fully ready by the early second week of December.”
Over 70 lakh people, including devotees and tourists, visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple every year. On an average over 10, 000 devotees, mostly from Varanasi and the adjoining areas, visit the temple every day. Every Monday, over 40,000 to 50,000 devotees offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and the number goes up to over two lakh to three lakh every Monday during the Hindu holy month of Shravan (July-August).
Shlokas and Vedic hymns are being written and carved out on the walls of the buildings in the corridor. The KV Corridor project is estimated to be worth nearly Rs 1000 crore.
Built over 5.5 lakh square feet, the KV Corridor has decongested the surroundings of the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex. Now, as soon as one walks a few steps off the GodauliaMaidagin road, he may see the gate of the temple complex. The adjoining Gyanvapi mosque is also visible from the road.
The temple complex was earlier surrounded by buildings on three sides.
After completion of the work, the KV Corridor will look divine and devotees will feel spirituality while walking through it from the ghat to the KV temple, says Piyush Tiwari, the public relations officer of SKVSADB.
An over 7000 square metre temple chowk (platform) for meditation capable of accommodating 10,000 people, seven grand entrance gates, a cafeteria, a food court, a Vedic and spiritual library, a virtual gallery, Kashi Gallery, tourist facility centre, a multipurpose hall, a security hall, and many other buildings are part of the KV Corridor.
The Ganga flows calmly to the east of the KV Corridor and devotees may reach the corridor gate at Jalasen Ghat by boat. As soon as they climb the stairs and reach the KV Corridor entrance, the KV temple will be visible from the ghat. A floating jetty has already been installed between Lalita Ghat and Jalasen Ghat so that the devotees may get off the boats and walk to KV temple through the corridor, Tiwari added.
Special arrangements for Divyang devotees are being made. Escalators will be installed and ramp will be there. While taking boat ride or cruise ride on the Ganga, the devotees will be able to catch glimpses of the KV Corridor.
Earlier, there was an entrance, known as VIP gate or gate number 4 , on the Godaulia-Maidagin route but now there is a wide open space there.
The main temple complex itself measures 3052 square
metres. Tiwari said a special sky beam light system is also being installed in the corridor. The light will be seen from around 2 km. Measuring three metres in width, the gates have been built with Chunar stones.
Besides, Baleshwar stone, Makrana marble, Kota granite and Madonna stone have been used to give a grand look to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor.
Officials said that after inauguration, the KV corridor will be a centre of attraction among the devotees and tourists.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid foundation of the KV Corridor on March 8, 2019. Over two years before the foundation of the corridor was laid, the preparations to create space required for making the corridor was started. Over 300 buildings were purchased and demolished to create the space of 5.5 lakh square feet for the project. In 2018, to expedite the work, the Yogi Adityanath government in UP constituted SKVSADB and appointed a senior provincial service (PCS) officer as its chief executive officer. Yogi personally monitored the corridor project, inspecting it over three dozen times.
Even though construction work was affected during Covid-19 crisis, the KV Corridor has been almost completed within 32 months and it is all set to be inaugurated.
Political analyst Prof Kaushal Kishore Mishra says the KV Corridor will give mileage to the BJP in the coming elections.