Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, is one of the 12 Jyotirlings in India, holiest places for Hindus. Every year at least a billion pilgrims visit this abode of Lord Shiva. Last year when phase-1 of Mahakal Lok corridor was completed and opened by PM Modi, the footfalls reached one lakh per day which doubles up on the weekends.
The Mahakal Lok corridor has many attractions from stories from Shiva Purana in form of murals, paintings and sculptures to the upcoming laser – water show, shopping complex, rest houses and many amenities for public. However, the expansion and infrastructure development was not easy. The administration had to remove encroachment, shift 17 schools and keep the work going during pandemic. In this video interview, main architect and executor of third project Mr. Asheesh Singh, former District Collector, Ujjain spoke about how he and his team dealt with all the challenges and implemented the idea of Mahakal Lok on ground. Please watch it here: