After his visit to the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday made a beeline for another holy Hindu site in Uttarakhand where he visited the famous Kedarnath and Badrinath temples. He first performed 'puja' at the Kedarnath temple in Rudraprayag district before flying to Chamoli via helicopter to visit Badrinath. He was dressed traditional white attire of the hill people with a swastika emblazoned on it.
But the visit was not only to pay obeisance to the gods. Modi also laid the foundation stone for the 9.7-km Gaurikund-Kedarnath ropeway project at Kedarnath.
Overall, the PM unveiled new road, railway and ropeway projects worth Rs 3,400 crore for the Kedarnath and Badrinath temples. He also reviewed the progress of the beautification project of the Arrival Plaza and the lakes in the area and the development projects along the riverfront at Badrinath.
This is Modi's sixth visit to Kedarnath and second to Badrinath as the prime minister. Both temples have been decorated with quintals of flowers.
By shifting focus to Kedarnath, PM Modi seems to have covered yet another important temple site for Hindus in India, in line with the BJP's overall strategy of fortifying Hindu votebanks by strategic reconstruction of cultural symbols and metaphors to inculcate a sense of religious pride hinged on nationalism among the majority.
Since his election, the Prime Minister has not shied away from religious symbolism and has taken on several multi-crore temple construction, restoration and revival projects. Here are some sites of religious importance that have recently been in focus:
Kedarnath temple restoration, Uttarakhand
Even before he became Prime Minister, the Kedarnath temple reconstruction had always been on Modi's agenda. Upon coming to power in 2014, one of the first projects Modi government took on was the restoration of the Kedarnath complex, which had been destroyed by the severe 2013 floods. It was on his orders that a statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya was constructed at the spot. On 5 November 2021, the new 13-foot high statue was unveiled by the PM at the restored Kedarnath temple.
Somnath temple restoration, Gujarat
Yet another temple that had long been on the PM's agenda was the revered Somnath Temple in Gujarat, considered one of the 12 jyotirlingas of India. Modi has been working on Somnath restoration plans since his Gujarat Chief Minister days. Last year in August, he inaugurated an exhibition center and a seaside viewing promenade to boost tourism. He also unveiled the reconstructed precinct of old Somnath at the temple complex.
The promenade was built at a cost of Rs 47 crore and the temple complex has also been spruced up to maintain contemporary safety and beautification standards.
Ram temple in Ayodhya
One of the BJP's flagship temple projects, the tenure of PM Modi oversaw the laying of the foundation stone for the Ram temple in Ayodhya to mark the birth spot of Lord Rama. The Supreme Court's order in favour of the Hindus in the Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute case paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple at the spot where the former Babri Masjid had stood. In August, PTI noted that over 40 per cent of the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was completed.
‘Shri Mahakal Lok’ (corridor) in Ujjain
Earlier in the month, Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Mahakal Lok Corridor, flagging off the redevelopment plan for the Mahakaleshwar temple complex, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Dedicated to the Shiva, the complex which is currently stretched over 2.5 hectares of land will ve expanded to 40 hectares. Under the redevelopment plan, the temple complex which is spread across two-and-a-half hectares will be expanded to more than 40 hectares an will even include the nearly Rudrasagar lake. The project is expected to cost Rs 705 crore. The 900-metre long Mahakal corridor itself has been built at the cost of Rs 350 crore. It is flanked by two giant gateways — Nandi Dwar and Pinaki Dwar - on its either side. The corridor has a 108 ornately carved pillars and is lined with sculptures depicting scenes from Shiva's life.
Kashi-Vishwanath corridor
Last year in December, PM Modi inaugurated the Rs 700 crore Kashi Vishwanath corridor connecting the Vishnwanth temple to Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi. In his inauguration address, Modi had said, “Today history has been created by reviving the sociocultural history of this ancient city, which is vibrant with Hindu philosophy as enshrined in our religious books". The project involved large scale demolition and relocation of local residents of the lanes and bylanes around the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex, which was revamped and expanded from 3,000 square feet to five lakh.
(With inputs from PTI)
