Inauguration of KVC a matchless experience, say Kashi residents
VARANASI: The inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor on Monday was a matchless experience, said residents as the city of Varanasi, also known as Kashi or Benares, basked in the festive glow on the occasion.
The lanes, ghats, prominent buildings, temples, intersections and bridges were illuminated with ornamental lights. The roads and lanes were cleaned. The locals lit up over 11 lakh (1.1 million) earthen diyas at ghats, lanes and in front of their houses, residents said.
Somnath Vishwakarma, a resident, said, “KV Corridor’s inauguration is na bhuto, na bhavishyati (unparalleled) experience for us. Baba Kashi Vishwanath is the centre of faith for crores of Hindus like us. The KV Corridor, which is also known as Kashi Vishwanath Dham, is unique and so has been its inauguration.”
Shailendra Mishra, a local BJP worker deployed for making arrangements for the inaugural ceremony, said, “With Baba Kashi Vishwanath’s blessings, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built the KV Corridor project. The project has added to the spiritual vibrancy of Kashi. It is equipped with stateof-the-art facilities for pilgrims.”
The KV Corridor and its unique features would transform experience of the devotees visiting Kashi Vishwanath temple now onwards, said Vijay Yadav “Ballu”, who visits the temple daily to offer prayers.
Many people voluntarily decorated their houses with ornamental lights, he said, adding that over 11 lakh (1.1 million) diyas (earthen lamps) illuminated the entire city and a Dev Deepawali-like atmosphere was palpable, he said.
Ashwani Pandey, co-convenor of month-long cultural programmes associated with the inauguration, said, “KV Corridor is grand, divine and unique. The entire country watched the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. The inaugural ceremony was so grand that it left people enthralled. For us, it was once in a lifetime occasion.”
Devotees will get a taste of spirituality and comfort when they visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple through the spacious corridor which has been dedicated to the devotees, said Pandey and added that the corridor will help increase income of the boatmen as now many devotees were most likely to visit Kashi Vishwanath Dham by boat since the corridor has connected Kashi Vishwanath Temple and the Ganga. Devotees may board a boat any of the ghats and reach Kashi Vishwanath Dham while enjoying the scenic view of ghats and Ganga flowing calmly. The pilgrimage to Kashi will be an entirely new experience, he said.