Amid Vedic chants, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a large ‘shivaling’ covered in strands of sacred red threads placed below the grand gateway – Nandi Dwar – of ‘Mahakal Lok’ to mark the inauguration of the mega corridor in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday.

Prior to dedicating the corridor to people, Modi performed puja at the ancient Mahakaleshwar Temple.

The prime minister unveiled the ‘shivaling’ by pressing a remote-control button from a short distance from the gateway in the presence of a large number of seers in the background.

Modi greeted a group of saints near the gateway and then walked through the Nandi Dwar accompanied by Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai C Patel and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan amid tight security in the sprawling premises. Vedic chants by priests reverberated the scene.

A bilingual plaque bearing inscription in Sanskrit and Hindi was also unveiled to mark the inauguration. A ‘trishul’ (trident) with a ‘damru’ and a ‘rudraksh mala’ hung over it was placed next to the plaque.

PM Narendra Modi at the ‘Mahakal Lok’ in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh on 11 October 2022. (Photo credit: PIB New Delhi)

Later, Modi also walked in the premises of the ‘Mahakal Lok’ to see the structures, murals and sculptures, while a number of artists performed along the route in separate groups. He also took a tour of the place for some time in a golf cart.

The first phase of the Rs 856-crore Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project is expected to significantly boost tourism in this holy city of Madhya Pradesh.

The corridor measures over 900 metres in length and is dotted with 108 ornate sandstone columns in a row which bear decorative ‘trishul’ design on top and ‘mudras’ of Lord Shiva.

It also has gushing fountains surrounded by artistic sculptures of the deity as well as 53 illuminated murals depicting stories from the Shiv Puran.

The Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the 12 ‘jyotirlings’ in the country, and the only one among them, which is southward-facing (‘dakshinmukhi’) and gets devotees throughout the year. The mega corridor in Ujjain is located around 200 km from state capital Bhopal.

The existing footfall of the temple, which is currently around 1.5 crore per annum, is expected to be doubled. The development of the project has been planned under two phases.

In addition to the Shree Mahakaleshwar Temple, the #ShriMahakalLok is yet another reason why you all must visit Ujjain! pic.twitter.com/rCPupmwl1o

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 11, 2022