UJJAIN: The expansion and beautification work in Mahakaleshwar Temple premises costing Rs 602 crore seems to reach its final stage with the completion of more than 70 per cent of the construction work.
The temple will be completely revamped to its full glory by March 2023 in order to ensure the convenience and stay of the devotees. Expansion scheme has included a number of attractions like the Rudrasagar laser show. Devotees incapable of walking long will be allowed to take e-rickshaws and visit the temple through separate entry gates.
Collector Asheesh Singh and SP Satyendra Kumar Shukla briefed the media persons about the ongoing construction work and said that Rs 150 crore is being spent on land acquisition required for temple expansion, 11 houses in front of the temple will be removed soon and construction of the proposed 70 metre wide road will also start soon. Ujjain Municipal Corporation commissioner Anshul Gupta, ADM Santosh Tagore and ASP Amrendra Singh were also present during the press briefing.
After completion of expansion work, the premises will have a capacity of about 1 lakh devotees. At present, the temple complex is spread across two and a half hectares which will be expanded to 20 hectares.
Singh said that the regular visitors will enter through the gate near the temple whereas visiting centres are being set up for devotees from outside Ujjain. Saptrishi, different incarnations of Lord Shiv and the Navgrah will also be placed on the premises.
The Maharajwada school building is being renovated into a grand heritage hotel and the mahakal police station will also be shifted. Ramps will be constructed demolishing the stairs near Avanti Mata Temple. Other facilities include shoe stands for keeping 6000 shoes together and three parking lots for 1700 vehicles.
All the lanes of Hariphatak Overbridge are being widened to 6 metres. Solar panels are being installed on the upper floor of the parking lot being constructed near Triveni Museum for power supply in the entire temple. Shiva’s 108 mudras will be placed in the mid-way zone. The expanded complex will have media rooms and control rooms besides food zones.
Security: A watch tower and control room are being constructed on the expanded premises complex in order to keep an eye on the entire temple complex and watch all the activities. Advanced gadgets and security equipment including face reader cameras will be installed in order to identify anti-social elements besides deploying additional police force in the temple premises. Traffic plan is being prepared to ensure the convenience of the devotees from outside to reach the temple with ease.
