On his 48-hour visit to Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham on Monday. On Tuesday, he will chair a conclave with chief ministers of BJP-ruled states and he is also scheduled to attend a programme at the Swarved Mahamandir .

The chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the deputy chief ministers of Bihar and Nagaland will be present at the meeting.

PM Modi will also attend the 98th-anniversary celebrations of Sadguru Sadafaldeo Vihangam Yog Sansthan at Swarved Mahamandir in Varanasi at around 3:30 pm on Tuesday.

The chief ministers from various states will also attend this programme.

WHAT HAPPENED ON DAY 1

PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham on Monday.

Addressing a massive crowd during the inauguration, Prime Minister said that the temple area at Kashi Vishwanath Dham has been extended to about five lakh square feet from the earlier 3,000 square feet. PM Modi also said that the Kashi Vishwanath Dham is a “symbol of Sanatan culture” of India.

Upon his arrival in Varanasi, PM Narendra Modi first travelled to the Kaal Bhairav temple. He offered prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple and also performed an ‘aarti’.

As the Prime Minister’s convoy passed through the streets of Varanasi, a man sought to offer him a pink-shade ‘pagdi’ near the Kal Bhairav temple.

The man was pushed away by SPG personnel and local police. PM Modi then motioned from inside the car to let the man wearing a saffron robe approach him. He then offered the Prime Minister a “pitambari” (saffron ‘angvastra’) which PM Modi accepted with folded hands and a smile.

PM Modi then travelled to Varanasi’s Lalita Ghat where he took a dip in the Ganga. Visuals show the Prime Minister offering obeisance to the holy river that has held a significant place in the Indian civilisation for thousands of years.

Before his address to a venue brimming with supporters, PM Narendra Modi had lunch with construction workers who worked on the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project.

The Prime Minister later in the day witnessed the enchanting ‘Ganga Aarti’ on Varanasi’s Dashashwamedh Ghat.

Thousands of supporters gathered around the ghats to witness the spectacle.