Soon, access Kashi Vishwanath temple directly from ghats

VARANASI: The world-famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple (KVT) would soon be accessible to the pilgrims directly from the mythological ghats along the river Ganga, sparing them the struggle of reaching it through congested serpentine lanes.




The blueprint of the highly ambitious Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Project worth Rs 600 crores, which will pave the way for comfortable accessibility to the temple, has been finalized by KVT administration as well as the state government.

While finalizing the KV Corridor plan, the government has addressed the issue of rehabilitation of the tenants and shopkeepers who would be displaced after 166 buildings are demolished and 46 ancient temples, library and buildings of architectural importance are preserved for the project.

KVT chief executive officer and Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) secretary Vishal Singh said, “The 56 meters wide corridor will be over 300 meters in length. We have surveyed and mapped the localities between Neelkanth Gate-Manikarnika Ghat and Saraswati Phatak-Lalita Ghat. A total of 166 buildings have been identified between both the routes.”

“We consulted scholars of Veda and Shastras and experts of archaeology department, architects and reputed international companies to prepare a bird’s eye-view design of the project,” he said.

“Despite being a prime pilgrimage site, KVT is surrounded by narrow lanes which are full of dilapidated buildings and crumbling basic infrastructure, affecting smooth movement of pilgrims to the temple. The narrow lanes and dilapidated buildings have prevented fire-fighting system and medical facilities for the pilgrims. The idea behind the project is to end all these problems and ensure world class facility for the pilgrims in and around the temple,” he said.