Page 21 - NIS - English, 01-15 January 2023
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Development and Legacy Cover Story
MAKING DEVOTEES' JOURNEY SMOOTHER...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the Chardham
road project to ease travel difficulties for devotees visiting
Uttarakhand for the Char Dham Yatra. In Uttarakhand,
53 packages totaling 825 km have been marked for the
Char Dham road project, with 43 packages totaling 683
km approved. 21 packages totaling 291 km have been
completed, with the remainder in various stages.
n Renovation of Kedarnath by the installation of
deities, 17 infrastructure projects worth Rs 3,000
crore. Integrated development of Kedarnath
Dham under the PRASHAD scheme.
CARING FOR HERITAGE
PROMOTING TOURISM
n India's ranking in the Travel and Tourism RESTORATION OF THE
Competitiveness Index rose from 65th in 2013 to
34th in 2019. SHRI UJJAIN MAHAKAL
n 19 iconic sites have been identified under the Iconic
Tourist Sites Development Project. TEMPLE CORRIDOR
n E-Visa facilities were given to citizens of 171
countries in 5 sub-categories. n The Mahakal temple of Ujjain is the only
n Under the PRASHAD scheme, cultural centres are temple in the world where the south-
being developed in 24 states at a cost of Rs 1,210 facing Shivling is enshrined. This is the
crore. reason why "Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga"
holds special importance among the 12
Jyotirlingas of India.
n This great centre of spirituality has
RETURN OF RADIANCE AT RELIGIOUS SITES been given its grandest form through
IN KASHMIR the Mahakal Lok Project, which was
Terrorism declined after Article 370 was revoked in launched by Prime Minister Narendra
Kashmir in August 2019. Meanwhile, work on populating Modi on October 11, 2022. Mahakal's
the ruins and abandoned religious sites began. The courtyard is being developed in two
phases at a cost of Rs 856 crore, upon
300-year-old Raghunath Temple, a church in Dalgate, completion of which the entire area of
and a mosque in Srinagar were among the first to be Mahakal will be 47 hectares.
selected for development under the Smart City project. n Mahakal Lok will be four times bigger
The radiance of Raghunath Temple has returned, and not than Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in
only is a place of worship but an exhibition is also held to Phase-I and nine times bigger on
familiarise the youth with the heritage. The Indian army completion of Phase-II. "Mahakal Lok"
held a grand opening ceremony in June 2021 for the first has a grand entrance, and a 384-metre-
long mural wall has been built. 25
renovated Shiva temple in Gulmarg. Worship was also stories of Shiva are displayed here. Such
held for a few hours in May 2022 at the Martand Sun an arrangement has been made that
Temple in the Anantnag district. On the day of Vasant 30 thousand people in an hour and, if
Panchami in February 2021, worship was also performed needed, 10 lakh people in a day will be
at the Sheetalnath temple. able to have darshan of Mahakal.
New India Samachar January 1-15, 2023 19
