Ujjain, Oct 10 (PTI) The annual footfall of tourists visiting the ancient Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain is “expected to double” after the opening of the grand ‘Mahakal Lok’, a top official has said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday is slated to inaugurate the first phase of the Rs 856-crore Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project here, located around 200 km from state capital Bhopal.
Chief Executive Officer of Ujjain Smart City, Ashish Kumar Pathak said about 1.5 crore people visit the temple every year.
“And, this annual figure is expected to double to about three crore after the opening of the ‘Mahakal Lok’,” he told PTI.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of the 12 ‘jyotirlings’ in the country that gets devotees throughout the year, is considered one of holiest places on earth by Hindus, and lakhs of people converge here during Shravan month of the Hindu calendar or Mahashivratri. There is a palpable excitement among local residents about the soon-to-open corridor and even people living outside Madhya Pradesh have shown keen enthusiasm over the mega project, especially through social media.
Besides, Madhya Pradesh ministers, senior officials, state government departments and many ordinary people have also changed their profile photographs on Twitter to a common thematic picture ahead of the opening of ‘Mahakal Lok’.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday had shared tweets of many of these users on his profile, and thanked them.
Pathak said after the opening, the excitement of people will only multiply and lead to a “huge jump” in tourist footfall.
Ujjain, located on the banks of old Kshipra river, is an ancient city that was earlier also known as Ujjainy and Avantika, and associated with the legend of King Vikramaditya.
The Mahakaleshwar Temple also registers a massive footfall during the Simhasth Kumbh here that takes place every 12 years. The Kumbh in Ujjain was last held in 2016.
“In 2016, Simhasth Kumbh Mela, about 70 million people visited Ujjain in one month. We are expecting that this number will go up to 100 million in the next Simhasth Kumbh Mela.
“The city grows during these festive times and we wish to create an ecosystem whereby the city is ready to handle the increased flow of tourists in terms of food, stay, water and other aspects,” he said.
The population of Ujjain is about 6 lakh. It is an ancient and holy city and old Hindu texts describe the presence of a ‘Mahakal Van’ around the Mahakaleshwar Temple aeons ago, and ’84 Mahadev’, ‘Nava Graha’ and ‘Sapt Sarovar’ (seven lakes) here, one of which is Rudrasagar that has been revived as part of the corridor development project.
“The Nag Chandreshwar temple in Ujjain opens only once a year on Nagpanchami, and a massive crowd visits it during that time. And, these festive times contribute to the economy as well. Therefore, Mahakal temple is not just a religious centre of Ujjain, but it is linked to social, cultural and economic spheres of the city too,” Pathak said.
“With the opening of the corridor, it will have a multiplier effect and more hotels and other ancillary infrastructure will come up,” he added.
The mega corridor project after completion will expand the temple complex area from 2.87 ha earlier to 47 ha, and the holding capacity will be significantly enhanced, officials said.
Two grand gateways, a majestic colonnade of 108 ornate pillars made of intricately carved sandstones, gushing fountains and a running panel of over 50 murals depicting various stories taken from Shiv Puran are the major highlights of the ‘Mahakal Lok’. The over 900-m-long corridor, billed as one of the largest corridors in India, skirts around the old Rudrasagar Lake.
‘Mahakal Lok’ development also includes a mid-way zone, a park, a multi-storied parking lot for cars and buses, florist and other shops, solar lighting, a facility centre for pilgrims, water pipeline and sewer line, among others.
A light and sound system has also been developed, and work on phase two of the project is currently underway, under which Rudrasagar Lake has been rejuvenated. PTI KND TDS TDS
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