Kashi temple to have statue of Ahilyabai Holkar

Varanasi, Nov 24 A statue of the Maratha queen, Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, who got the Kashi Vishwanath temple reconstructed in 1777, will be installed at Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor that is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 13.

The temple complex will also have statues of Aadi Shankaracharya, Bharat Mata and Lord Kartikeya.

According to Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal, "The process for restoration of idols of Goddess Parvati, Goddess Annapurna, Lord Ganesh, Lord Hanuman and Lord Satyanarayan in the KV temple premises has been started by installing prefabricated temples there."

Agrawal further said, "The process of installing statues of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, Adi Shankaracharya, Bharat Mata and Lord Kartikeya has also been started. The statue of Adi Shankaracharya will be installed at KV Dham's entry point near the ghat along the Ganga."

The statue of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar will be installed near the tourist facilitation centre, while Bharat Mata's statue will be mounted near Mandir Chowk. The statue of Lord Kartikeya is being installed near KVT. Each statue is 6.5 ft tall and will be installed on stone pedestals.

Since its construction by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar in 1977, the Kashi Vishwanath temple, considered among the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva, is witnessing massive renovation and development for the first time.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in November 2018 had asked the authorities to ensure that the statue of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar is installed as a tribute to her for rebuilding KVT in 1777 after it was destroyed in the Mughal period.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also paid tributes to Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar and paved the way for developing facilities for hassle-free visit of pilgrims to the shrine.

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