9 Years of Modi Government: From a new Parliament to Statue of Unity, the architectural wonders of Narendra Modi’s India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi likes to make history. He has done this over and over again in the nine years that he has been in power. And this year, ahead of 30 May, the day he was sworn in for the second term in 2019, India got a new Parliament – a once-in-a-lifetime moment – another step away from its colonial past. The new Sansad is just one of the many architectural marvels India has received since Modi came to power. It is India’s latest wonder but Modi’s reign will be defined by towering statues, long bridges, never-seen-before tunnels and grand mandirs. We take a look at what has been built and what more can we expect. Central Vista: New Parliament, Kartavya Path and more, New Delhi The Central Vista in New Delhi is the heritage precinct, an “important site to meet the aspirations of a rich culture”, according to the 1962 Master Plan of Delhi. It’s a three-kilometre stretch from Vijay Chowk to India Gate and includes Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Parliament buildings, North and South blocks and Kartavya Path , earlier known as Rajath. Under the Modi government, Central Vista is getting a makeover at a whopping Rs 13,500 and its crowing glory is the new Parliament building, inaugurated by the PM on 28 May. With a built-up area of about 65,000 sq metres, the new Sansad is bigger and high-tech. It will house a larger Lok Sabha hall with a capacity of up to 888 seats and a larger Rajya Sabha hall with a capacity of up to 384 seats. [caption id=“attachment_12661222” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Modi gives a speech at the inauguration ceremony of the new Parliament House, in New Delhi on 28 May. Press Information Bureau[/caption] “This is not just a Sansad Bhawan, but a reflection of the aspirations and dreams of 140 crore people,” Modi said as he spoke in the new Parliament building on Sunday, hailing the complex as the “harbinger of not just India’s development but that of the world”. In September last year, the Modi government renamed the Rajpath, constructed as a ceremonial boulevard by the British and called Kingsway until Independence, to Kartavya Path. And at India Gate, the Grand Canopy which held the statue of King George V once, now has the 28-feet long statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose . The project is not complete yet. The focus will now shift to the construction of the PM’s new residence and office, the vice president enclave, common central secretariat buildings, the defence enclave, and MPs’ chambers. Also read: New Parliament of India: What’s different from the old one? Mahakal Corridor, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh PM Modi is a devout Hindu and during his time in office, he has given several ancient temples a facelift. One of them is the Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain. The first phase of the Rs 856-crore redevelopment plan of the temple was completed last year. In October 2022, the PM inaugurated the “Shri Mahakal Corridor” . [caption id=“attachment_12661232” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Narendra Modi unveiled the Shri Mahakal Lok project at the ancient Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh last October. Image courtesy: @narendramodi_in/Twitter[/caption] The 13th-Century Mahakaleshwar temple houses one of the 12 jyotirlingas, considered the most sacred of Lord Shiva’s shrines. The temple complex which was spread across two and a half hectares will be eventually expanded to more than 40 hectares. Also read: Inside Ujjain’s grand Mahakal Corridor In the first phase, the 900-metre-long corridor was constructed. It includes two majestic gateways near the entry point of the Mahakal corridor, 108 pillars, a panel of over 50 murals depicting stories from Shiva Puran, a lotus pond with fountains and a statue of Lord Shiva at the centre of it.

Preview of Mahakal Corridor.

Newly developed corridor at the Mahakaleshwar temple has been named Sree Mahakal Lok, & its design is inspired by Shiv Leela.

Murals & statues portray various aspects of Lord Shiva.

On Oct 11, PM @narendramodi Ji will inaugurate it.#ShriMahakalLok pic.twitter.com/uK0Tfyg7q6

— Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) October 9, 2022

Hanuman Statue, Morbi, Gujarat On 16 April 2022, on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti, Modi unveiled a 108-foot statue of Lord Hanuman in Gujarat’s Morbi through video conferencing. It is the second of the four statues of the deity being set up in four parts of the country, as part of the Hanumanji Char Dham project. [caption id=“attachment_12661262” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The statue of Lord Hanuman in Gujarat’s Morbi is 108 feet tall. PTI[/caption] “We have been seeing a similar grand Hanuman statue in Shimla for years now. The second has been established in Morbi… I have been told that two more statues will be established in Rameswaram and West Bengal,” said the PM, emphasising that it was part of the resolution for “Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat”. Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh Modi inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor , connecting the ancient Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi to the ghats of the Ganga in December 2021. Said to the PM’s dream project, the corridor has been built on over 5000 hectares. The Rs 800-crore project will provide better facilities for pilgrims and aims to decongest and transform the temple complex. [caption id=“attachment_12661322” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Narendra Modi during the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi. PTI[/caption] Phase 1 of the project, which is complete, saw the restoration of 40 temples. Twenty-three buildings including a tourist facilitation centre, Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, a museum, a viewing gallery and a food court, have come up. During his speech at the event, Modi said, “There is only one government in Kashi, the government of Mahadev who holds the damru in his hand”. Also read: From Mahakal Lok Corridor to Kashi Vishwanath, how Narendra Modi is reviving temples across India Adi Shankaracharya statue, Kedarnath, Uttarakhand In November 2021, Modi unveiled the 12-foot statue of Guru Adi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. [caption id=“attachment_12661352” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] PM Modi prays in front of the Adi Shankaracharya statue in Kedarnath on 5 November 2021. Image courtesy: @narendramodi/Twitter[/caption] The Shankaracharya statue, weighing 35 tonnes, was built at the seer’s samadhi sthal, which was given a makeover after was damaged during the devastating 2013 deluge. The work on the statue was completed by Mysore sculptor Yogiraj Shilpi and his son, Arun. The Prime Minister’s Office reached out to the artist after a nationwide search. Atal Tunnel, Himachal Pradesh The all-weather Atal tunnel in Himachal Pradesh was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2020. The 9.02 km tunnel, located at an altitude of 10,000 feet, connects Manali and Lahaul. In February last year, it was recognised as the world’s longest single-tube highway at this height by the World Book of Records, London. [caption id=“attachment_12661412” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Vehicles at the south portal of Atal Tunnel after fresh snowfall, at Rohtang near Manali in March 2023. PTI[/caption] This iconic tunnel is an engineering marvel in the Himalayas and has proved to be a game-changer for Lahaul and Spiti districts as it offers safe and all-weather connectivity to the remote regions, and eventually with the rest of India. The tunnel, built for Rs 3,200 crore, has reduced the distance between Manali and Keylong by 46 km, saving more than two hours of travel time. Bogibeel Bridge, Assam The PM has paid attention to the northeastern states of India like no other premier before, bringing in infrastructure development. In December 2018, Modi inaugurated the 4.94-km-long Bogibeel Bridge over the mighty Brahmaputra in Assam, giving India its longest rail-cum-road bridge. It is the second-longest such structure in Asia. [caption id=“attachment_12661432” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The Bogibeel Bridge is one of the highlights of Modi’s government’s infrastructure push for the Northeast. File photo/PIB[/caption] The Bogibeel Bridge cuts down the train-travel time between Tinsukia in Assam to Naharlagun in Arunachal Pradesh by more than 10 hours. The project, which cost Rs 5,920 crore, helps in shoring up India’s defence requirements along the border with China. Statue of Unity, Gujarat In October 2018, Narendra Modi inaugurated the Statue of Unity , a 182-metre giant structure built in honour of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on an islet, Sadhu Bet, near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in the Narmada district of Gujarat. [caption id=“attachment_12661472” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A view of the Statue of Unity during sunset, at Kevadiya colony in Narmada district of Gujarat. PTI[/caption] Now, holding the record for the world’s tallest statue, it is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the US. The ambitious project cost Rs 2,389 crore and required 25,000 tonnes of iron and 90,000 tonnes of cement. Nearly 3,400 labourers and 250 engineers worked round-the-clock at the site. The Statue of Unity is a major tourist attraction and between 25 to 31 December 2022, it got 3.5 to four lakh visitors. Upcoming projects While Modi in many ways transformed the Indian landscape, there are more projects yet to come. The highlight of them all will be the promised Ram Mandir. Ram Mandir, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh The Ram Mandir will be ready for inauguration on 1 January 2024, Home Minister Amit Shah announced earlier this year. PM used a sliver brick to lay the foundation of the grand temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya in August 2020. Construction is in full swing at the holy site. In February, two large shaligram stones from the Kali Gandaki waterfall in Nepal were brought to Ayodhya to carve the idols to be placed inside the temple. In March, Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, gave a glimpse of the mandir and said that the work is 70 per cent complete.

सीता लखन समेत प्रभु, सोहत तुलसीदास।
हरषत सुर बरषत सुमन, सगुन सुमंगल बास॥ pic.twitter.com/45TyCYbtbH

— Champat Rai (@ChampatRaiVHP) March 16, 2023

The temple is expected to be a three-storey structure with garbh griha and five mandapas. Chenab Bridge, Jammu and Kashmir Soon India will get the world’s highest railway bridge, the Chenab Bridge in Kashmir. In August last year, the Golden Joint connecting two ends of the deck of the bridge was inaugurated. The 1,315 metre-long bridge forms a crucial link in the 111-km stretch from Katra to Banihal, which is part of the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla section of the Kashmir Railway project, connecting Jammu & Kashmir to the rest of India. [caption id=“attachment_12661512” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Chenab Rail Bridge, is the world’s highest railway bridge. It passes over the Chenab River in the Reasi district. PTI[/caption] Once complete, it will be the highest railway bridge in the world being 359m above the river bed level. The Chenab Bridge will be 35 metres higher than the iconic Eiffel Tower in Paris. The track work of the bridge is expected to be completed by December 2023. Zojila Tunnel, Jammu and Kashmir Another upcoming project is the Zojila tunnel . Currently, under construction, it will establish all-weather connectivity between the Union territories of Ladakh and Jammy and Kashmir and promises to cut travel time. [caption id=“attachment_12661542” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari with J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha inspects the construction work of Zojila Tunnel at Baltal area in Ganderbal district in April 2023. PTI[/caption] It will be India’s longest road tunnel and is expected to be Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel with a length of 14.15 km. The tunnel is being built at a cost of more than Rs 4,600 crore and is expected to be completed by December 2023. These architectural marvels are nothing but a testimony of the PM’s vision for India. As he rightly said during his speech in the new Parliament building, “When India develops, the world progresses…” Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.