All you need to know about 900-metre long Mahakal Lok corridor in MPs Ujjain

New Delhi, Oct 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the first phase of the Rs 850 crore Mahakaleshwar Temple corridor development project in Ujjain today. The project is said to help in enriching the experience of pilgrims and boost tourism in the city.

PM Modi's chopper will land at a helipad located in the Police Line campus here. The span of the designated helipad has been widened to facilitate landing on the day of the event. After reaching Ujjain, he will drive to the temple complex in his motorcade and perform a 'puja' at the Mahakaleshwar Temple. After that, he will go to the 'Nandi Dwar' and inaugurate the corridor," said a senior official of Ujjain Smart City Ltd, which has executed the project. As he will travel through the corridor, a large number of artistes will perform along the route.

On Sunday, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the preparations for the grand opening of the Mahakal Lok. Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said that the inauguration will be a "memorable moment". "The entire state is waiting for that moment and we all will participate in the event in some way or the other," he was quoted by the news agency PTI.

All you need to know about the 'Mahakal Lok' corridor:

Phase I of the Mahakal Lok project will help in enriching the experience of pilgrims visiting the temple by providing them with world class modern amenities. Project aims to decongest the entire area and also put special emphasis on conservation and restoration of heritage structures. Under the project, the temple precinct will be expanded nearly seven times. The total cost of the entire project is around Rs 850 crore.

Existing footfall of the temple, which is currently around 1.5 crore per annum, is expected to be doubled. Development of the project has been planned under two phases.

The Mahakal Path contains 108 stambhs (pillars) which depict Anand Tandav Swaroop (Dance form) of Lord Shiva. Many religious sculptures depicting the life of Lord Shiva are installed along the Mahakal Path.

The Mural wall along the Path is based on Shiva Purana stories such as Act of creation, Birth of Ganesha, Story of Sati and Daksha among others.

The Plaza area, which is spread over 2.5 hectares, is surrounded by a lotus pond and contains the statue of Shiva along with fountains.

The entire premise will be monitored 24x7 by Integrated Command and Control Centre with the help of artificial intelligence and surveillance cameras.

Two majestic gateways - Nandi Dwar and Pinaki Dwar which have been separated by a short distance - have been erected near the starting point of the corridor.

Meanwhile, the work on phase two of the corridor is underway. Once completed, the temple complex and the holding capacity will be expanded.