Inaugurates Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi
Varanasi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, called upon the people to follow three resolutions –cleanliness, creation & innovation, and Aatmanirbhar Bharat for a new self-reliant India on the 75th year of Independence.
“For me, the people of the country are like God and the new India is proud of its culture and also has confidence on its ability… there is ‘Virasat’ and ‘Vikas’ in the new India, so I want three resolutions from you, not for yourself, but for our country – cleanliness, creation and continuous efforts for self-reliant India,” he said.
He said to give a decisive direction to India will lead to a brighter future of the coming generation as the long period of slavery broke the confidence of Indians in such a way that people of the country lost faith in their own creation.
“Today, from this thousand-year-old Kashi, I call upon every countryman, to create with full confidence, innovate, and do it in an innovative way, so that the country plays an important role for self-reliance on our 75th year of Independence,” he added.
Inaugurating the Kashi Vishwanath Dham here, he said today, a new chapter was being written in the history of Kashi Vishwanath.
“Kashi Vishwanath Dham premises is not just a grand ‘bhavan,’ but a symbol of India’s ‘Sanatan’ culture and traditions. Here, you’ll see how inspirations of the ancient culture giving direction to the future,” he added.
Appreciating the Yogi Aditynath government and the people engaged in the construction of Kashi Vishwanath Dham, he said nothing was impossible, if one had thought and determination.
“We will have to work on how India will be, when it celebrates a hundred years of independence. Today’s India is reviving its lost heritage. Here in Kashi, Mata Annapurna herself resides. I am glad that the statue of Mother Annapurna, which was stolen from Kashi, has now been reestablished, after wait of a century,” he added.
He said, “In the arms of every Indian, there is a force, which makes the unimaginable come true. No matter how big the challenge, we Indians can defeat it together.”
Talking about Kashi, he said, “Kashi is the land of four Jain Tirthankaras, the epitome of nonviolence and austerity. From the integrity of King Harishchandra to the knowledge of Vallabhacharya, from Ramanand ji to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, from Samarth Guru Ramdas to Swami Vivekananda to Madan Mohan Malaviya, how many sages, acharyas have been related to the holy land of Kashi.
“Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj came here and from Rani Lakshmi Bai to Chandrashekhar Azad, Kashi has been the birthplace of many fighters. Talents like Bharatendu Harishchandra, Jaishankar Prasad, Munshi Premchand, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Bismillah Khan hailed from this town.
“Varanasi is the city from where Jagadguru Shankaracharya got inspiration from the purity of Sridom Raja, he resolved to tie the country in the thread of unity. This is the place where Goswami Tulsidasji created a supernatural creation like Ramcharitmanas with the inspiration of Lord Shiva and the realisation of Lord Buddha was revealed to the world in Sarnath here,” he added.
He said, “Besides for the betterment of society, sages like Kabirdas appeared here and if there was a need to connect the society, then this Kashi became the center of the power of devotion of Sant Raidas ji.”
“The invaders attacked this city, tried to destroy it! The history of Aurangzeb’s atrocities and his terror is witnessed here. Even during the British era, the people of Kashi knew what happened during the Hastings period.
“I congratulate our artisans, people associated with our civil engineering, people of administration, those families who had their homes here for the speedy construction of this Dham,” he added.
Along with all this, the PM said, “I congratulate the UP government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji, who monitored day and night to complete the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project.
Today, I would also like to express my gratitude to every labouring brother and sister whose sweat was shed in the construction of this grand complex and even in times like Corona, they did not let the work stop here.”
Earlier, the temple area here was only 3000 square feet, it has now become about 5 lakh square feet and now 50,000 to 75,000 devotees can come to the temple, noted Modi.
He said, “This Kashi Vishwanath Dham is a symbol of Sanatan culture of our India and our spiritual soul.
“This is a symbol of India’s antiquity, traditions, energy and dynamism. When you come here, you will not only see faith, but you will also feel the glory of your past here… It is a surprise here that how antiquity and novelty come alive together,” Modi added.
During his speech, the PM also narrated the importance of Kashi by saying, “Kashi is not a matter of words, it is a creation of sensations.
“Kashi is the place where awakening is life, where even death is happiness, where truth is the sacrament and where love is tradition,” he added. (UNI)
