New Delhi: Diwali has come early to Ujjain. Its roads and buildings glitter and gleam with fairy lights, earthen diyas and flowers, and Hindu religious songs can be heard from every street corner. The Madhya Pradesh city is marking Tuesday’s inauguration of the Rs 850-crore ‘Mahakal lok’ corridor with songs and dance, pomp and show — and everyone is invited.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs, MLAs and workers have been going door-to-door with packets of yellow rice and invitations cards for the grand ceremony that will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveil the first phase of the corridor after 5pm in the backdrop of the setting sun.
For residents, the inauguration of the 900-metre-long corridor in front of Mahakal Temple is a historical moment. “We’re proud to be part of the generation which witnessed the making of its corridor,” said Dr Gagan Singh Raghuvanshi, an industry expert with PhD in tourism.
Also read: Grand gateways, heritage architecture, sculptural gallery: Many facets of ‘Mahakal Lok’
Celebrations in Ujjain
Ujjain has been celebrating the much-awaited inauguration of the project with pomp and show, song and dance. A series of events have been organised in Ujjain as part of the inauguration. The government is leaving no stone unturned in making this a larger-than-life event.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan himself went to akhadas in Ujjain on Sunday, and personally invited renowned saints to the inauguration event.
On Monday night, singer Sonu Nigam is all set to perform, while Kailash Kher is performing live on Tuesday.
From 7 to 9 October, the Shastri Nagar Maidan had organised dance and drama shows portraying thousands of stories of Lord Shiva. LED screens have been set up in various villages in Ujjain for people to watch the inauguration event live. On Monday, a ‘Kalash Yatra’ was organised, where pots were filled with water from 170 rivers in the country, to be given to the deity in Mahakal.
“This is the best time to be in Ujjain. I have never seen the city come alive like this. Everyone is in a happy mood. This is the beginning of a new era,” said Mukesh Kumar, an owner of a local shop in the city.
Also read: Reviving Rudrasagar: Turned into sewer, how Mahakal corridor project rescued this ancient lake
The corridor
Ujjain is all set for a make-over and it’s not keeping its face-lift a tight-lipped secret. Its makeover is on a grand scale. One hundred and eight pillars made from sandstone have been sourced from Rajasthan. Apart from fountains, 50 murals depicting stories from the Shiv Puran have been installed. Two grand gateways have been erected on either side of corridor’s entry point. The Mahakal Lok is all set to make the journey to Mahakaleshwar Temple, a mesmerising affair. Artists and craftsmen from Rajasthan, Odisha and Gujarat have worked on the pillars and the murals, reported PTI.
The 108 pillars bear a trishul-style design, a weapon associated with Lord Shiva. CCTV cameras and public addressal systems have also been incorporated into the design. It’s a perfect amalgamation of ancient aesthetic and modern practicality, say residents, who are expecting tourism to pick up.
“The project cannot restore the ancient glory (of Ujjain) that was ages ago, but we have attempted to evoke that glory through old, aesthetic architecture used in the construction of pillars and other structures in the corridor. Also, horticulture species mentioned in Kalidas’s Abhigyan Shakuntalam have been planted in the corridor,” an Economic Times report quoted chief executive officer of Ujjain smart city, Ashish Kumar Pathak.
Every year, lakhs of people throng to the temple, which is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. But the temple premises doesn’t have the infrastructure to host thousands of devotees at a time.
So far, the temple didn’t have a queue to hold the thousands of disciples that flock the Mahakal Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. But this is all set to make their journey to the centre of the temple easier. “The corridor will be able to host up to 15,000 pilgrims in the temple premises, and visitors to the temple will no longer have to brave the sun, the cold or the rain while they wait for darshan,” Ashish Pujari, one of the 12 priests of the temple, told The Print.
The corridor skirts around the Rudraprayag lake, which too, was revived as part of the redevelopment project. “Currently, 7-8,000 people from all over the country come to Mahakal every day. I believe this figure will go up to 25,000 people a day,” he added.
Everyone — from residents to tour guides to government officials — is expecting the corridor to boost tourism. “Currently, people are not interested in staying in Ujjain. They make a day trip from Indore to Mahakal Temple and return. But the corridor gives them an incentive to stay. The hotel industry is excited for the inauguration, and we believe, tourism will see a huge jump here,” said Raghuvanshi.
(Edited by Tarannum khan)