The first thing that comes to our mind after hearing the word ‘Banaras’ is the Ganges/Ganga Ghats. No matter which place one belongs to, everyone knows about the importance and beauty of these ghats. The second thought is obviously of our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who is the Member of Parliament from Varanasi. It is his dream project that is harming the most ancient living city on Earth. The project is to make a 50-feet-wide Kashi Vishwanath corridor, which will connect the Jyotirlinga of Vishwanath temple to the Ghats.
This project sounds like sort of a development of the city and a great initiative to improve the infrastructure which will prove to be convenient for the pilgrims and the devout, but actually, the situation is dire and is ripping apart the religious epicentre of India. It would surely be great to have a corridor which shortens the distance between the temple and ghats but this is destroying the ancient element for which Varanasi is highly renowned.
The ancient shrine of Vishwanath temple is located amongst the maze of lanes which also accommodates several old temples, some nearly 300 years old. One look at the old buildings can draw an individual to the rich Hindu culture and tradition. One can witness the presence of many foreigners craving to click pictures in these lanes and document the remains of a long-lived history.
The place acknowledges the visit of around 3,000-5,000 people every day and in festive seasons like Shravan and Shivratri, there is a humongous crowd of around 1 lakh to 3 lakhs. In spite of being so populated, no pilgrims face any troubles in walking in these lanes, rather they enjoy it because of its significant past. The bulls and cows in these lanes are welcoming as well. These lanes are present in the heartland of the city and can be said to be the ‘soul’ of Benares.
Coming back to the project, Narendra Modi is not taking cognizance of the famous saying “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”. He inaugurated the project on March 8, 2019. Building this corridor includes the destruction of all the buildings and temples that were built in the 17th and 18th centuries around these lanes. The corridor would make it easy to reach the temple but the essence of the temple, contained in the narrow lanes will be missed.
The demolitions have started and the work is in progress. It has already met with strict protests in Varanasi which was because thousands were forced to leave their homes against their will. An interesting myth is that the area of 3 kilometers around the Ganges is considered to be the sacred Kashi and one who dies in it attains Moksha. No amount of compensation can fill the gap being created between people and their beliefs.
People are cursing the leaders, saying that Mahadev will teach them a lesson for the destruction they have done to his city. People are facing these problems because never before has there been any modification to this place. The corridor will certainly be convenient as it also includes set up of hospital, rest houses, shops, cafeterias and help desks. It won’t be easy for the people of the city to bear the pain of watching the demolitions of the elements that has been the epicentre of Hindu religion and mythology.