Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “closely involved" in the conceptualisation of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham Project in Varanasi, including the review of the masterplan and giving some strong inputs, the architect of the project, Bimal Patel, said on Wednesday. The PM will unveil the project on December 13.
“When I was first briefed by the PM, his words were — ‘Aisa Rasta Banaiye Ki Pilgrims Ka Mann Prasannit Ho Jaye’ (Make such a corridor that people feel elated at heart)," Patel said at a select briefing on Wednesday. Patel further said the PM was “closely involved" in translating his vision into reality and giving inputs. “For example, the PM felt that the Ghats area and the main gateway should have a strong architectural statement, which now reflects in the final design. The PM also wanted access for the disabled," he added. Hence, the project will be accessible to disabled through ramps and escalators.
The entire project will be spread over 5 lakh square feet enough to accommodate up to 75,000 people in circulation at any given time and the walk from the Ghats to the temple will be of about 350 meters, Varanasi commissioner Deepak Agarwal said at the briefing. “Around 70% of the total area is open and 30% will be a built-up. One of the key architectural challenges was to create an uplifting journey to the God. You start from the Ganges and steps, leads you to a gateway and slowly the temple is revealed to you. It is a gradual revealing of your destination. It is a spiritual journey (discovery) of the self, that is what the architecture tries to capture," Patel said.
Patel said if a person starts his journey from the Ganges by a boat or jetty, he will see a pyramid of steps leading to a gateway. “The gateway announces the Kashi Vishwanath mandir prescient on the river. As you enter the gateway, the land rises up gradually and buildings are designed in a way that both your eyesight and movement is directed along a path that gradually leads to another gateway and at a point in between, through this gateway, you will be able to see the ‘shikhir’ of Kashi Vishwanth temple. The architecture of the temple draws you in but is gradually revealed to you," Patel explained.
The cost of the project is over Rs 800 crore, including construction and acquiring properties.
Agrawal said earlier the main temple premises was in an area of just 3,000 sq feet and there was just a four-feet wide corridor to the temple. “Long queues of pilgrims will now be a thing of the past. At any one time, inside just the main temple premises, 4,000-5,000 people will be able to stand and up to 75,000 people can move in the entire corridor. A token system will be developed in which pilgrims will be given a half-an-hour window to line up for Darshan at the temple and he can spend the rest of the time exploring the entire project," Agarwal said.
Agarwal said this project was also free of any litigation and there were clear instructions from the Prime Minister as well as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that the project has to be executed through “dialogue" and by “taking all people together and transparency without any controversies".
He said 314 properties were taken over by mutual negotiations without going the land acquisition route and “good compensation amount" was paid to the tune of Rs 390 crore in total. “Nearly 61 temples were discovered during the demolition of properties and project was tweaked to accommodate them which have added value to the entire project. Around 27 structures have been made where all the idols found will be re-installed," Agarwal said.
Both Patel and Agarwal said it was a challenging project, which was considered almost impossible given the topography of the area. “It shows the political will-power and clear decision-making that the entire project has been completed in the record time without any litigation," Agarwal said.
Patel mentioned how the temple was earlier completely hemmed in by dense urban development and was in a congested part of the city. “It was the vision of the PM to recreate the past glory of Kashi when pilgrims could bathe in the Ganga and carry the holy water up to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple," Agarwal said.
The temple complex is made entirely of stone and the project will largely be a non-residential complex apart from a 50-bed premises for people who want to spend their last days in Varanasi, as has been a long-standing custom. While the first phase of the project will be open to public on December 13 after inauguration by PM Modi, the second phase, which involves revamped Ghats and ramps, will be completed by January 22, Agarwal said.
He recounted how all people dislocated due to the project have been rehabilitated and a better financial package was given to 37 families associated with cremations at the Manikarna Ghat given their socio-economic situation, irrespective of the small size of their dwelling. “People gave up their properties for the project both because of faith and a transparent and attractive financial compensation offered to them," Agarwal said.
News18 had earlier today reported on the entire blueprint of the project.
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