PM Modi to inaugurate ‘Mahakal Lok’ in Ujjain today

The project aims to decongest the entire area and also put special emphasis on conservation and restoration of heritage structures. It has a length of over 900 meters and has 108 elaborate sandstone columns in a row, each with “mudras” of Lord Shiva and a decorative “trishul” design on top

As per reports, a large-scale “shivaling” covered in strands of “moli” (sacred) threads has been positioned beneath the grand gateway — Nandi Dwar — of the “Mahakal Lok.” If all goes as planned, the prime minister will formally unveil the “shivaling” to signify the start of the mega corridor.

As per a government release on the occasion, “The Mahakal Path contains 108 stambhs (pillars) which depict Anand Tandav Swaroop (Dance form) of Lord Shiva. Many religious sculptures depicting the life of Lord Shiva are installed along the Mahakal Path. The Mural wall along the Path is based on Shiva Purana stories such as Act of creation, Birth of Ganesha, Story of Sati and Daksha among others.”

Work on Phase II of the project is going on and once completed it will expand the temple complex area from 2.87 ha to 47 ha while holding capacity will also be significantly increased.

Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy sharing a video of drone view of the corridor on Twitter said, “Jai Mahakal The first phase of the Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple Corridor of Ujjain is all set to be inaugurated by Hon’ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji tomorrow 11th, October,”

In another tweet, Reddy shared a video of sculptures, murals and other structures of the corridor.

A senior official of the Ujjain Smart City Ltd, the authority which executed the project said “Mega arrangements have been made for the opening of the ‘Mahakal Lok’ that will be dedicated to the people by the prime minister. After reaching Ujjain, he will drive to the temple complex in his motorcade, and perform a ‘puja’ at the Mahakaleshwar Temple. After that, he will go to the ‘NandiDwar’ and inaugurate the corridor,”

In the run-up to the inauguration, several cultural shows were also hosted including a laser show, Ramlila at Ram Ghat and daily ‘mahaarti’ on the banks of Kshipra river.

Ahead of the much-touted programme, the holy city of Ujjain ,which sits just 200 kilometers from the state capital Bhopal, has been decked up with colourful flags on a large number of lamp posts, while many streets and flyovers have been decorated with lights, including on the Hari Phatak flyover that overlooks the new corridor which has turned into a selfie point of sorts for locals.

Hindus regard the Mahakaleshwar Temple as one of the holiest places on earth, and thousands of them travel from all over the country to visit it during Mahashivratri, which falls in the Shravan month of the Hindu calendar.

With inputs from PTI