Kashi Vishwanath Dham will give direction to nation: PM
Kashi imperishable, if there was an Aurangzeb, Shivaji was also there, says Modi
VARANASI : Attacking his opponents who doubted his resolve when the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor was conceived, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the dedication of Kashi Vishwanath Dham will give a decisive direction to India and lead it to a brighter future.
The Prime Minister said today’s India is focusing both on retrieving the glory of the nation and modernising the country.
PM Modi was addressing a gathering of 3,000 guests at Kashi Vishwanath Corridor which he dedicated to the nation after taking a holy dip in the Ganga and performing worship of the river (Ganga pujan).
He also urged Indians to make three resolutions for the sake of the country: Swachhta (cleanliness), Srijan (creation) and continuous efforts for Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).
Calling Kashi “imperishable, he said even though it has witnessed destruction in the past, it has also seen the valour of brave warriors and stated that if there was an Aurangzeb, Shivaji was also there.
“This complex is a witness to our capability, of our duty. If it is determined and thought, then nothing is impossible,” he said.
Modi said that when the KV Corridor project was conceived, some people, due to their vested interests and politics, used to say, “How will it happen? It will not happen. Many people like Modi have come and gone.”
“But Kashi is Kashi. Kashi is imperishable. There is only one government in Kashi, the government of Mahadev who holds damru in his hand,” PM said.
“With blessings of Baba Vishwanath, grand KV Corridor has been built and has been dedicated to the nation today. Inau
The ‘dham’ of Baba Vishwanath is in a new form. And, it has become a medium to remove that pain of Mahatma Gandhi, which he had expressed almost 100 years ago after seeing narrow bylanes and filth
YOGI ADITYANATH, CM
guration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham will give a decisive direction to India, and will lead it to a brighter future. This complex is a witness to our capability, our duty. If it is determined and thought, then nothing is impossible,” Modi said.
“No one comes to Kashi, and nothing happens without Mahadev’s grace. Whatever happens here happens with the will of Mahadev. Whatever happened, Mahadev has done it,” he said.
“When you come here, you will not see only faith, you will also feel the glory of your past here — how antiquity and novelty come alive together, how the inspirations of the ancient are giving direction to the future. In Vishwanath Dham complex, all this is visible,” he said.
“This entire new complex of Vishwanath Dham is not just a grand building, this is also a symbol of the Sanatan culture of our India. This is a symbol of our spiritual soul, a symbol of India’s antiquity, traditions, India’s energy and dynamism,” Modi said.
Earlier, the temple area here was only 3,000 square feet but has now become over five lakh square feet. Now, 50,000 to 75,000 devotees can come to the temple and temple premises (at once), he said. After taking a holy dip in the Ganga and doing Ganga Darshan, now the devotees may come directly to Vishwanath Dham from Ghat, said Modi.
Before inaugurating the Rs 339 crore project here, PM Modi had greeted the labourers who were involved in the construction of the project with flowers and sat together with them on stairs of a platform at the corridor for a while to honour them.
He said they have achieved success despite the many challenges posed by Covid-19 pandemic.
“Today, I would also like to express my gratitude to every labourer brother and sister, who shed their sweat in the construction of this grand complex and even in times like corona, they did not let the work stop here,” he said.
“I have just had the privilege of meeting these labour colleagues and taking their blessings,” added Modi. He congratulated all the artisans, people associated with civil engineering, the administration, the families who had their homes here, which were purchased for creating the space for the KV Corridor.
“Along with all this, I also congratulate Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathji, who worked day and night to complete the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project,” said Modi.
Referring to the medieval times, he said, “When the temple was demolished here, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar got it rebuilt. Her birthplace was Maharashtra and Indore was Karmabhoomi. She did it 250 years ago. Thereafter, now this great work has been done. Pujya Nanakdev ji (Guru Nanak) had come to Kashi and Maharaja Ranjit Singh had donated 23 maunds of gold. This is the formula of unity of India.”
The Prime Minister said India is reviving its lost heritage now.
“Here in Kashi, Mata Annapurna herself resides,” he said.
He expressed happiness that the idol of Goddess Annapurna, which was stolen from Kashi, has now been re-established here after a wait of a century.
Observing that invaders attacked this city and tried to destroy it, he said the city is witness to the history of Aurangzeb’s atrocities and his terror.
“Who tried to change civilization by the sword? Who tried to crush the culture with fanaticism? But the soil of this country is different from the rest of the world. If there is an Aurangzeb, Shivaji is also there. If any Salar Masud comes, then brave warriors like King Suheldev make him taste the might of India’s unity. And even during the British era, the people of Kashi knew what happened to Warren Hastings,” PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister called cleanliness a way of life and called for people’s participation in this enterprise,especially in the Namami Gange Mission.
The Prime Minister said, “The long period of slavery broke our confidence in such a way that we lost faith in our own creation. Today, from this thousand-year-old Kashi, I call upon every countryman — create with full confidence, innovate, do it in an innovative way.” Importance of Kashi Describing the importance of Kashi, he remarked that Kashi is not a matter of mere words, it is a creation of sensations.
“Kashi is that where awakening is life; Kashi is that where death is also a festival; Kashi is that where truth is the culture; Kashi is where love is tradition.”
He also said Kashi draws people of all castes and creeds and they feel connected to it after a visit.
He added that Varanasi is the city from where Adi Shankaracharya got inspiration from the purity of Dom Raja and resolved to unite the country. This is the place where Goswami Tulsidas created a celestial creation like Ramcharitmanas with inspiration from Lord Shankar.
The Prime Minister said Lord Buddha’s enlightenment was revealed to the world in Sarnath, here. For the betterment of the society, sages like Kabirdas appeared here. If there was a need to unite the society, then this Kashi became the centre of the power of devotion of Sant Raidas, the Prime Minister added.
He also said Kashi is the land of four Jain Tirthankaras, the epitome of non-violence and austerity.
“From the integrity of King Harishchandra to the knowledge of Vallabhacharya, Ramanandji, from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Samarth Guru Ramdas to Swami Vivekananda and Madan Mohan Malaviya, the holy land of Kashi has been home to sages and acharyas beyond count,” he said.
The Prime Minister remarked that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj came here. From Rani Lakshmi Bai to Chandrashekhar Azad, Kashi has been the karmbhoomi of many freedom fighters. Talents like Bharatendu Harishchandra, Jaishankar Prasad, Munshi Premchand, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Bismillah Khan are from this great city, he said.
“For me, Janata Janardan (the people) are the form of God, every Indian is a part of God,” PM said.
PM said the Ganga, which comes north to wash the feet of Vishwanath, would also be very happy.
“Now when we meditate on Baba, the air of the Ganga will make us feel wonderful and divine.”
Everyone wanted to come here but there was a lot of difficulty earlier, he said, adding that now reaching Vishwanath Dham has become very easy. Elderly people will come by boat to the ghat. From there, as accelerators have been installed, they will be able to come directly for darshan. There will be no problem like before.” Earlier in the day, PM offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple. From there, he went to Khidkiya ghat and boarded a cruise to reach the KV Corridor gate.
PM also offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple and planted a Rudraksha tree on the premises. He took a dip in the Ganga before visiting the temple.