● The Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor project in Varanasi connects the iconic Kashi

Vishwanath temple and the ghats along the river Ganga.

● The Rs 339-crore project, the foundation of which was laid by Modi on March 8,
2019, has been completed in less than three years as planned, despite the Covid
pandemic.
● The corridor project was conceptualised to create an easily accessible pathway for
the pilgrims, who had to meander through congested streets to take a dip in the
Ganga and offering the water of the holy river at the temple.
● The Kashi Vishwanath temple lacked direct access to the Ganga, and a 20-foot-wide
corridor was envisaged to connect Lalita Ghat on the holy river to Mandir Chowk on
the temple premises.
● A government release said 23 buildings – tourist facilitation centre, Vedic Kendra,
Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, city museum, viewing gallery, food court among
others — will be inaugurated as part of the project.
● The project involved purchase and acquisitions of more than 300 properties around
the temple
● During the process of destruction of the old properties, more than 40 ancient
temples were rediscovered.
● The inauguration of the temple, under the ‘Divya Kashi, Bhavya Kashi’ programme
● The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated
to Lord Shiva.
● It is located in Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in India.
● The main deity is known by the names Shri Vishwanath and Vishweshwara literally
meaning Lord of the Universe.
● Scholars claim that it had been demolished by many Muslim rulers many times, most
recently by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi
Mosque on its site. The current structure was built on an adjacent site by
the Maratha ruler, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in the year 1780.