Making Sense Of Modi’s Temple Investment: Cities Of Gods And A New Idea Of Urban Aesthetics

– Jyotirmaya Tripathy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Kashi Vishwanath corridor complex (PMO)

Snapshot:

  • Temples as public places is not a new concept, but never before this idea has been operationalised with such zeal in recent times. 

  • As PM Modi oversees a renewal and rejuvenation of temples, he is also giving a reality-check to those who believed progress and urban life to be an irreligious or even anti-religious activity.

This year’s Deepavali witnessed a celebration at Ayodhya like never before, with the Prime Minister of the world’s largest democracy participating in the aarti on Sarayu river. A few weeks back, PM Modi had inaugurated the re-developed Mahakaleswara temple complex in Ujjain. 

Earlier he had presided over the transformation of Kashi dham from a medieval neighbourhood with its dirty and narrow lanes to an ideal temple town with amenities and conveniences that is already the envy of any planned city. 

Continue Reading...