Mumbai: The architects behind Ujjain's Mahakal Lok Corridor and its two grand gateways have been contracted to design the new Pravesh Dwar at the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganpati Temple.
Project components
The project, funded through a Rs 500 crore grant from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), will also include a two-level underground parking facility for 120 cars beneath the Nardulla Tank playground, marble sculptures along the temple's boundary walls, and covered pathways for devotees.
The details were shared on Tuesday during an interaction with media persons at the temple by the trust's chairman, Sada Sarvankar. The temple administration clarified that the entire project, expected to take two to three years to complete, will be funded and executed by the BMC.
Trust's role clarification
"The temple trust will have no role in the utilisation of the funds," Sarvankar said.
Speaking about the Pravesh Dwar, which will be constructed in the first phase of the project, Sarvankar said, "A grand entrance is important for a temple that has emerged as one of the country's most significant pilgrimage centres. We felt the temple lacked an entrance befitting its stature."
The funds will not be used in the temple building that will maintained by the trust's income from donations by pilgrims.
Trust-owned building compensation
The trust said a portion of the funds would be used to acquire a neighbouring building, which would be demolished to create additional facilities for pilgrims. Residents of the building will be compensated for their existing 500-600 sq ft homes, as well as for the additional 40 per cent space they would have received under a redevelopment project.
Sarvankar added that the trust was also prepared to compensate occupants of the Siddhivinayak Building, which belongs to the trust, if they agree to vacate their premises to facilitate the expansion of temple facilities. There are also plans to involve a private donor in the beautification of the road junction near the temple after taking into account the existing aesthetics of the temple premises.
The funding allocated to the Shree Siddhivinayak Temple forms part of a broader state scheme aimed at improving facilities at major religious centres, including Pandharpur, Parli Vaijnath, Mumbadevi, Kolhapur Mahalakshmi and Bhimashankar.
The temple trust also clarified that the proposed underground parking facility would not affect the playground above it.
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