MP: Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor to be known as 'Mahakal Lok'

The Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday decided to name the newly- developed Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor as 'Mahakal Lok” in a meeting held in Ujjain.

On October 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the first phase of the Rs 856- crore Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project in Ujjain, located around 200km from the state capital Bhopal.

This was for the first time when a state cabinet meeting was organised in Ujjain, which houses the famous temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The cabinet decided to name the newly-developed corridor as 'Mahakal Lok', state Home Minister Narottam Mishra told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

The first phase of the project has been completed and the Prime Minister will dedicate it to people on October 11, said Mishra, who is also the state government spokesman.

Mishra said the cabinet also approved a proposal for development of the existing airstrip in Ujjain. An amount of Rs 41 crore was sanctioned for land acquisition and another Rs 39 crore for expansion of the airstrip so that it could be converted into a full-fledged airport.

The home minister said the cabinet also gave its consent for a project to ensure continuous flow of water into the Kshipra river.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress vied for credit for the Mahakal corridor project. The Congress claimed it was first mooted when it was in power in the state.

Addressing a meeting of the organising committee looking into the PM's programme, Chief Minister Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said he had first conceived the development plan of the Mahakaleshwar temple during the last Simhastha (Kumbh Mela) organised in 2016.

Chouhan said there will be a local holiday in Ujjain on October 11, when the PM will dedicate the new corridor to people.

Earlier, speaking in the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister said the then-BJP government had invited the tender for the project before the Assembly elections in 2018, but the process could not be taken forward due to a change in government in December that year, when the Congress came to power.

However, after coming to power again in March 2020, the BJP government started the mega project again, he claimed.

On the other hand, state Congress president and former CM Kamal Nath said the Mahakal development project was mooted by his government (December 2018 to March 2020).

The state and the people of Ujjain are aware the Congress government had started work on development and expansion of the Mahakal temple, he said.

The Congress had also started several other projects, Nath said.

According to officials, development of 'Mahakal Lok' includes a mid-way zone, a park, a multi-storied parking lot for cars and buses, solar lighting, a facility centre for pilgrims, a mega entry gate, water pipeline and sewer line, among other works.

A lighting and sound system has also been developed along with installation of 108 pillars showcasing Shiv Tandav shlokas as well as 52 murals depicting various stories. Several other statues have also been constructed, they said.

The Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the 12 'jyotirlings' in the country and gets devotees throughout the year.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)