PM Modi in Indore to launch first phase of Mahakal Lok Corridor

Ujjain has been decked up for the event

ITDC INDIA EPRESS/ ITDC NEWS Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday to inaugurate the first phase of the Mahakaleshwar temple expansion (Mahakal Lok Corridor) in Ujjain. The project is being developed at Rs 850 crore.

Modi, who was in Gujarat for the last two days, will leave from Ahmedabad airport at 3:35 PM on Tuesday and will arrive at Indore an hour later. From Indore, he will fly in a chopper to the helipad in Ujjain at 5 pm. Modi will reach the Mahakal temple at 5:25 pm and perform puja before dedicating to the nation the Mahakal Lok between 6.25 pm to 7.05 pm, official sources were quoted by PTI.

The prime minister will also attend a public function at the Karthik Mela Ground soon after. He will leave from Ujjain at around 8.30 pm for Indore and from there to Delhi around 9 pm.

Ahead of the Prime Minister's visit, elaborate arrangements have been made in Ujjain for the big event. This includes large TV screens for people to watch the live telecast. The Hari Phatak bridge that leads to the Mahakaleshwar temple too has been lit up with oil lamps. The city has been witnessing cultural programmes ahead of the event.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who reviewed the preparations on Sunday, has called for Diwali-like celebrations to mark the occasion.

The 'Mahakal Lok' corridor, envisaged as one of the largest corridors in the country, is over 900-metres-long. It is spread around the old Rudrasagar Lake and has two gateways, Nandi Dwar and Pinaki Dwar, leading to the Mahakaleshwar temple's entrances. The stretch has been built aesthetically and is expected to attract a large number of devotees.

"A majestic colonnade of 108 ornate pillars made of intricately carved sandstones, gushing fountains and a running panel of more than 50 murals depicting stories from the 'Shiv Puran' are among the major highlights of the Mahakal Lok," an official told PTI.

The first phase of 'Mahakal Lok' has been developed at Rs 316 crore. The Mahakaleshwar Temple is one of the 12 'jyotirlingas' in the country.