Ujjain (MP), Oct 8 (PTI) A special anthem dedicated to Lord Shiva, the resident deity of the ancient Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, will be sung by Kailash Kher on the day the mega corridor will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said on Saturday. The anthem ‘Jai Shri Mahakal’ has been composed to mark the creation of the new corridor, christened ‘Mahakal Lok’.
PM Modi will dedicate the first phase of the Rs 856-crore Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project on October 11 here, around 200 km from the state capital Bhopal. “Mega arrangements are being made for the opening of the ‘Mahakal Lok’ that will be dedicated to the people by the PM. After reaching Ujjain in the evening, 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 ‘Nandi Dwar’, the main gateway of the new corridor, and inaugurate the corridor,” said a senior official of Ujjain Smart City Ltd, which has executed the project.
As he will travel through the corridor, artistes will perform along the route and he will be greeted to the sounds of ‘damru’ too.
“Later, at a grand event the same day, well-known singer Kailash Kher will perform a special anthem, a ‘Shiva Stuti’ dedicated to Lord Shiva. The anthem has been composed especially to mark the creation of ‘Mahakal Lok’,” Chief Executive Officer of Ujjain Smart City, Ashish Kumar Pathak, told PTI here. Kher will perform along with his team Kailasa at Kartik Mela ground venue where the ceremonial event will be held in the presence of PM Modi after the corridor is opened, another official said. The culture department of the Madhya Pradesh government on Friday had released a teaser of the ‘Jai Shri Mahakal’ anthem, and on Thursday a poster was unveiled jointly by the culture department and the Mahkaleshwar Temple Trust. In the short teaser, Kher’s voice can be heard, singing a part of the anthem: “Bharat Madhye Swayambhu Jyotirling Yajamahe, Hey Paar Brahma Parmeshwar Shiv Shambu Dayamahe.” The public relations department of the state government on Saturday released a video, featuring Kher who spoke of the new ‘Mahakal Lok’ corridor and said he and his team will be performing in Ujjain on the day of its opening.
In the video, he claimed that the anthem will be launched by PM Modi on the occasion. Work is underway to erect a grand stage at the Kartik Mela ground where Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will reach after the inauguration of the corridor for the mega event to mark the occasion.
Kher and other artistes will perform at Kartik Mela ground venue, officials said.
Sources said the theme of the stage will be inspired by symbols associated with ‘Mahakal Maharaj’, and a huge ‘trishul’ will be symbolically placed on top of the stage backdrop. Plan is also to play images and videos of the Mahakaleshwar Temple and other holy sites in Ujjain on huge screens before the arrival of the PM at Kartik Mela ground, they said, adding thousands of people are expected to be among the spectators.
The ‘Teri Deewani’ fame singer, in the past has sung songs like ‘Babam Bam’, ‘Shivoham’, and ‘Devon Ke Dev’, all in veneration of Lord Shiva. Sources said the new anthem has been composed by Kher and it also draws from the ancient heritage of the famous shrine, whose devotees chant ‘Jai Shri Mahakal’ in its honour, and the glory of old city Ujjain.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the 12 ‘jyotirlingas’ in the country and gets devotees throughout the year. The Shivling housed in its sanctum sanctorum is believed to be a ‘swayambhu’ ling, or self-originated one, and is visited by lakhs of people, especially during the Shravan season of the Hindu calendar or Mahashivratri. The over 900-metre-long corridor, billed as one of the largest such corridors in India, is becoming popular among the youth through social media. Two gateways — Nandi Dwar and Pinaki Dwar — separated by a short distance, have been erected near the starting point of the corridor, which winds its way to the entrance of the ancient temple, offering aesthetic views along the way. The corridor is decorated with 108 ornate sandstone columns bearing trident-style design on the top and ‘mudras’ of Lord Shiva on its faces. It also has gushing fountains surrounded by artistic sculptures of the deity and illuminated murals.
Preparations are in full swing for Modi’s visit to the city on October 11, where he is scheduled to arrive in the evening. Madhya Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Minister Bhupendra Singh on Thursday had said the PM is expected to land in Ujjain around 5:30 PM and spend about 2-2.5 hours in the city before returning. He described Prime Minister Modi as an “ardent devotee of Mahakal Maharaj.” PTI KND TDS TDS
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