PM Modi inaugurates Mahakal Corridor in Ujjain: What you need to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (September 11) inaugurated the first phase of the Mahakal Lok corridor project at Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh. Modi unveiled a a 15-foot high shivling at the main gate of the 250-year-old temple and performed puja.

The total cost of the 900-metre-long Mahakal Lok (corridor) is Rs 856 crore with the first phase costing Rs 351 crore, news agency PTI reported.

What PM Modi said: Modi called the new corridor "extraordinary and unbelievable".

• PM specifically mentioned that India has been able to come out from the shackles of colonial era. "India has thrown off the shackles of mentality of colonialism, and has reclaimed its pride in history," Modi said.
• "Today, a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya is being constructed with full speed and the Kashi Vishwanath Dham is increasing the pride of India's cultural capital. Development in Somnath is touching new heights and in Uttarakhand, in Kedarnath and Badrinath, new horizons of development have reached," Modi said.
• PM also shed a brief light on the fact that the previous rulers of India tried to exploit India and India's freedom was taken away. "Attackers like Iltumish tried to destroy the glory of Ujjain. But our rishis have said at feet of Mahakal Shiv, death cannot do anything to us. Ujjain for a thousand years was the centre of cultural India and is declaring India's new age of greatness," he said.
• Modi, on his visit to the temple was also accompanied by Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangu Bhai Patel and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He took a ride of the corridor in a electric-battery-powered vehicle with Chouhan and Patel.

• He greeted Sadhus and other religious leaders present there.
• Senior MP government officials also said that the redevelopment project will also increase the temple premises eight times.

Interesting facts about the Mahakal Lok corridor: The corridor is said to be one of the longest in the country, which traverses the old Rudrasagar lake which has been revived as part of the redevelopment project around the Mahakaleshwar Temple, one of the 12 'jyotirlingas'.

• The corridor stands on ornated 108 columns in a row which have a decorative trident (trishul) design on top and 'mudras' of Lord Shiva.
• The walls of the the temple have been adorned with 53 illuminated murals depicting stories from Shiv Puran.
• The structures erected have been constructed from the Bansi Paharpur area in Rajasthan .
• Artists and craftsmen mainly from Rajasthan, Gujarat and Orissa worked on chiseling and embellishing raw stones into aesthetic pillars and panels.