KASHI VISHWANATH HERITAGE ZONE: REDOING HISTORY
“I will come and stand for hours. A genuine devotee doesn’t care about the pain.” If the government eases access to Kashi Vishwanath, good, if not, “baba ki dhun mein khade rahenge (will keep standing in Lord Shiv’s glory)”, Anand Kumar, a 50-year-old devotee, said.
The devotee was referring to the government’s mega plan under which travelators, or moving walkways, would be put up from the Ganga ghats to ease visits to the temple zone.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is laying the foundation stone of the Kashi Vishwanath Heritage Zone in Varanasi on Friday. Under the project, the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) is dismantling existing properties, including all commercial and residential structures, but preserving ancient temples in the 15,000 square metre area from Kashi Vishwanath to the ghats.
During renovation, more than 50 temples have been “discovered” by the VDA. There is Shri Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir, 25 feet below the ground. There is a 500-year-old temple dedicated to the mythical samudra manthan( churning of the ocean), and another that was built during the Gupta dynasty. These had become inaccessible among modern constructions.
The Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust (KVTT) is buying out all of the dismantled properties — some at thrice the circle rate. The KVTT has a budget of ~1,000 crore for the heritage zone project. In the first phase, it has utilised ~250 crore for demolition and land acquisition.
Those being displaced include homes, rest houses and shops that are also 100-200 years old. The task is not easy, with religious groups, historians and citizens protesting. The VDA, however, is in mission mode with the project being directly monitored by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Vishal Singh, secretary, VDA, who is the current and the first non-Brahmin head of the KVTT, is confident of finishing the project in one year from March 8. Singh is also the CEO of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Special Area Development Board
(SKVDB) which is overseeing the entire project.
“We are keeping all religious places intact. In fact, the VDA has discovered so many historical sites. We asked the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to carbon date these sites and brought in historians and heads of religious communities to mark the importance of the sites,” he told Business Standard.
The Gyanvapi mosque, built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, in the premises of Kashi Vishwanath has also been made more accessible. The entry gate crosses paths with one of the temple gates and police force in high number has been deployed. It is the same place where a temporary office of the SKVDB has been set up.
In his first floor office, Singh is surrounded by religious groups who don’t want their temple or land to be taken. “We are just removing the housing part attached with the temple while the latter is restored. Since March 2018, we have bought close to 270 properties and compensated only the title holders. In several cases, the residents are not owners; either they are tenants or illegal owners. They have been asked to move out and we are providing for an alternate location,” Singh said.
In the list available publicly on the KVTT website, 89 people have received compensation till December 2018. The amount ranges between ~1 lakh and ~5 lakh. Around 167 minor and major renovation and beautification projects were concluded in the past year.
Under the project, Manikarnika, Lalita and Jalasen ghatswould also be redeveloped. Museum, rest house, amphitheatre, and residence for all priests are being planned. The existing Birla library would be kept intact and renovated, if needed. Some shops would be moved outside the heritage zone.
Those losing their shops are not sure of the volume of business they will get once away from the temple. “This property was leased and was being passed on for generations. This is a holy area. We never thought it will be renovated by uprooting us,” said a metal shop owner.
Good compensation, however, has made some new generation shop owners happy. “We will set up a better shop outside this zone,” said a boy in his twenties. He inherited a general store from this father.
At 4:30 pm, before the evening aarti, the queue to enter the temple is becoming longer. It is already
4 km long.
Those who have grown up in the chaos it is Baba (Lord Siva) that matters the most; the heritage zone does not mean much to them. "This could make the task very easy for the government or very difficult," said Kumar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Kashi Vishwanath Heritage Zone in Varanasi on Friday