Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated phase 1 of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project at Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi, which has been constructed at a cost of around Rs 339 crores.

A total of 23 buildings will be inaugurated in phase 1 of the project. They will provide a variety of facilities to the pilgrims visiting Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, including Yatri Suvidha Kendras, Tourist Facilitation Centre, Vedic Kendra, Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, City Museum, Viewing Gallery, Food Court, among others.

Prime Minister’s vision was also to ensure that all heritage structures be preserved during the course of the development of the project.

This foresight came in handy when, during the process of destruction of the old properties, more than 40 ancient temples were rediscovered.

These temples have been restored and beautified while ensuring that there is no change in the original structure.

The scale of the project was such that the project is now spread over a massive area of about 5 lakh square feet, whereas earlier premises was limited to just around 3000 square feet.

Before inaugurating the project, in his Lok Sabha constituency, the Prime Minister greeted the labourers who were involved in the construction of the project with flowers.

PM Modi offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and planted a Rudraksha tree at the premises of the temple.

The Prime Minister, who is in his Lok Sabha constituency for two days, offered ‘Ganga jal’, chandan, ashes and milk to Lord Shiva at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

He arrived at the temple on Alaknanda cruise, a double-decker boat and took a holy dip in the River Ganga.

Later in the evening, he will also witness the Ganga Aarti while on-board a Ro-Ro Vessel at around 6 pm.

On his arrival in the city, the Prime Minister offered prayers at Kaal Bhairav Temple.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a rousing welcome as soon as he reached Varanasi as they showered flower petals and chanted slogans of ‘Modi, Modi’ and ‘Har Har Mahadev’.

During the two-day visit, Prime Minister will also participate in a conclave of Chief Ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, along with Deputy Chief Ministers from Bihar and Nagaland.

The conclave will provide an opportunity to share governance-related best practices and is in line with the Prime Minister’s vision of furthering team India’s spirit.