On the initiative taken by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the holy city of Varanasi, known as a religious and spiritual heritage, will soon be a new city with world-class facilities to the tourists that will add to the grandeur of Kashi.
An official communiqué confirmed here on Saturday that a new tourist destination will soon be added to the tourist map of the country that will have all the modern facilities.
One of the 84 ghats of the city, the Khirkiya Ghat, is being developed using modern techniques and once completed, it will have all the facilities that the other existing ghats do not have.
According to the officials, the renovated ghat will be eco-friendly and unlike other ghats, it will have parking facilities for 120 four-wheelers and 250 two-wheelers.
“The structure of the ghat will be based on gabion and retention walls structure and it will retain its appearance and looks just like the other heritage ghats. Being built in 11.5 acre of land, it will cost about Rs 35.83 crore. It is expected to open for the public by July 2021,” said Anil Yadav, the general manager of National Building Construction Corporation.
According to Varanasi Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agarwal, the renovated ghat will be laced with facilities like water adventure sports, jetty, food court, park, morning walk stretch, library, CNG station, etc.
The area and space of the ghat will also increase, catering to crowd management on events like Dev Deeepawali.
“Ghats like Assi and Dashaswamedh attract most tourists but it is very difficult to reach there on your vehicles. Keeping this in mind, the renovated ghat is being given a drive-in and parking facility. The construction is being done as per the Make in India vision and it will also be based on Vocal for Local. The visitors will also have the option to book tickets for offering prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It will also be having a multi-purpose platform where helicopters can also land,” Agarwal said.
In addition, the ghat will have outlets for local handicrafts, fresh drinking water RO units, a place for cultural programmes, etc.
“Boat rides, gallery for viewing the famous Ganga aarti, etc. will add to the tourists’ visit and in future, we will also provide options for combo-tickets (to other tourist destinations), railway ticket booking, and open space for cultural programmes,” he said.
Meanwhile, the entire world raves about the works of artisans of Baba Vishwanath’s Kashi, a place famous for its heritage and spirituality. Even the foreign tourists seem completely smitten by the designer clothes made in Varanasi. The special costumes of Varanasi attract all, irrespective of their taste in fashion. Silk dresses made in Varanasi are also the first choice of famous dress designers.
To promote Vocal for Local and One District One Product (ODOP) campaigns, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has urged the state residents to buy these products and gift their friends and families on festivals which they will relish for years to come.
In this regard, on the occasion of Christmas, people from other countries made a lot of purchases and gifted desi products to their loved ones.
It is to be mentioned that for the last 15 years, priests from Rome, Greece and America, on the occasion of Christmas, wear designer gowns that have been prepared in Varanasi.
In the Adampur area of Varanasi, weaver Syed Hussain and other artisans have been preparing special gowns for the priests. These gowns are made from zardozi, brocades, lambda materials, and hats made from silk.
It is to be mentioned that in 2005 when Syed Hussain went to Greece and Rome to organise a clothing exhibition, he showed some unique designs to the designers after which they suggested some changes to the old costumes and ordered Hussain to prepare the costumes. Since then, the clergies have been wearing only garments made from Kashi’s zardozi.
The gowns and hats are made by the hands of artisans in Varanasi. The artisans start getting orders for these costumes a year before Christmas from abroad. These designer costumes, prepared by craftsmen are shipped to Rome, Greece, and America.