I was fortunate to be in Kashi on the day PM Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath corridor. I was equally fortunate to be in Ujjain on the day the PM inaugurated the #ShriMahakalLok, a heritage corridor almost a kilometre long adjacent to the Mahakaleshwar temple.
I had been to Ujjain during the Simhastha in 2016, and even though it was one of the most well-organised Kumbha in recent times, the area around Shri Mahakaleshwar temple was very congested. The Rudrasagar lake was a dump with foul smelling, turbid waters.
The idea of reviving and restoring the area around the Shri Mahakal temple came up during the Vichar Mahakumbh held in Ujjain in 2016 in the PM’s presence and attended by the Hindu Acharyas.
Yesterday, the first phase of the project was dedicated to the nation by the PM. #ShriMahakalLok is a unique concept in so many ways, for one thing, with its 1 km length, it is longer than even the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor. For another, it is spread around the Rudrasagar Lake that has been cleaned, revived and rejuvenated and now sports a serene waterfront promenade.
As you enter the #ShriMahakalLok corridor, you enter through the majestic Nandi Dwar, a sandstone gateway that frames the corridor. At the other end, there is another gateway called Pinaki Dwar. There are 108 sandstone pillars that flank the corridor. Each depicts the dance Karanas of Lord Shiva.
Apart from the pillars, there are many sculptural installations depicting the divine aspects of Bhagwan Shiv with the lines from the scriptures carved beneath them.
Every sculpture has an information board that has a QR code. When you scan the code, you can read more about the sculpture, it’s meaning, the spiritual significance and the story behind it. This is a great way to get the youth interested in our heritage. I saw a group of young boys scanning the QR code of the Tripurantaka Shiva eagerly and reading up on the info. This is how you integrate new technology with ancient wisdom.
The massive wall that flanks the corridor on side features sandstone murals based on Shiva Purana stories like the Birth of Ganesha and the Story of Sati. All the carvings have been done by sculptors from Rajasthan.
The corridor also features an open air theatre, a lotus pond with a Murti of Bhagwan Shiv at the centre. There are statues of Saptarshis placed around a carved sandstone pillar. In the second phase, the complex will have cafés, waking plazas and stores selling spiritual memorabilia.
#ShriMahakalLok is an impressive project by any yardstick, but those who have had the opportunity to see the temple complex and its surrounding before 2015 like I did, would be totally blown away by the transformation.
The entire corridor is unapologetically Hindu. There is not even an attempt to play down the saffron aspect, in order to seem secular. After the Statue Of Unity, Kedarnath Revival Plan, the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Central Vista and Kartavya Path, #ShriMahakalLok is another feather in PM Narendra Modi’s cap.
No other PM will have left such a lasting legacy!
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