Restoring past glory… India’s divinity will benefit world: PM Modi

For the first time after Independence, all the four dhams, he said, are being connected with all-weather roads.

“The Kartarpur Sahib corridor has been opened for the first time after Independence and will now be connected to the Hemkund Sahib… Swadesh darshan and prasad yojana are strengthening several of our devotional centres. Now, we have the grand Mahakaal Lok ready for the future, taking along with it its glorious past,” he said.

The Mahakaal Lok is part of the urban transformation of the Mahakaaleshwar temple, among the 12 most revered jyotirlingas.

The Prime Minister was shown around the temple complex by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Governor Mangubhai Patel. They then reached the venue of a jan sabha where Union Ministers Jyotiraditya Sincida and Narendra Singh Tomar, Chhattisgarh Governor Anusuiya Uikey, Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais and others were present. The sabha began with a performance by singer Kailash Kher on Lord Shiva.

Praising the Madhya Pradesh government for its work on restoration of the temple premises, Modi said, “It is only when Lord Mahakaal is happy with our dedication that such a project is completed. I would like to congratulate Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his government for its dedication and work to complete the project.”

“For thousands of years, Ujjain has led India’s affluence, prosperity, knowledge and dignity, culture and literature. Kalidas’s Meghadootam gives a glimpse of what this city was. Invaders like Iltutmish tried to destroy the energy of Ujjain. But our seers have said that even death cannot do anything in the presence of Mahakaal. India, with the energy from its sacred temples, stood up and, with the blessings of Mahakaal, rewrote its history,” he said.

“Ujjain has been a leading centre in astronomical research. In this new India, in the area of astronomy, we are standing with big powers of the world. India is also launching satellites of other countries into space. With missions Chandrayaan and Gaganyaan, India is leaping to touch the sky,” he said.

“India is moving to become self-reliant in defence and new start-ups are announcing India’s success. We have to remember that where there is innovation, there will be renovation. The things we have lost during our colonial years, we are renovating it now, our ‘vaibhav’ and ‘gaurav’, and it will benefit the entire world and mankind,” he said.