Telangana Okays 1,108 Crore To Build Dakshina Kashi Near Hyderabad
Project aims to develop the Musi riverbank shrine as Dakshina Kashi with improved connectivity
Hyderabad: The state government has accorded administrative sanction of 1,108.27 crore for the development of the Sri Omkareshwara Swamy Temple complex at Manchirevula on the Musi riverbank, bordering Narsingi and Kokapet. The government plans to develop the project as Dakshina Kashi.
Of the total allocation, 948.65 crore has been sanctioned for the temple complex at Manchirevula village in Gandipet mandal and 159.62 crore for a six-lane approach and connectivity road to the complex.
The eight-acre temple complex will feature a 100-foot Lord Shiva statue on the Musi River and a 100-foot Galigopuram. The Shiva statue will be surrounded by landscaped parks, while boating and other recreational facilities are also proposed.
Designed by the Musi Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (MRDCL), the complex will have multiple mandapams besides the gopuram. The Vimanam — the tower over sanctum sanctorum — will measure 14 feet each in length and width and 64 feet in height.
The project will also include the development of the ancient Veerabhadra Swamy temple and the nearby Machileshwara temple, which is believed to be more than 1,400 years old. According to the municipal administration and urban development (MA&UD) department, preservation of the heritage structures will be given priority while taking up the works.
The 159.62-crore six-lane approach road will be 100 feet wide and about 2.5 km long. It will connect the Greyhounds and Young India Police School areas and provide the temple complex with better connectivity to the Musi riverfront road network.
The state government has also constituted a technical committee to provide guidance for the development of the Sri Omkareshwara Swamy Temple.
The committee will oversee designs, Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and tenders. The roads and buildings (R&B) engineer-in-chief will chair the committee, with the public health engineer-in-chief as co-chairman and the MRDCL chief engineer as convener. Its members will include the endowments chief engineer, a temple architecture expert and the additional secretary of the finance department.
Apart from the Sri Omkareshwara Swamy Temple at Manchirevula, a mosque near Puranapul, a gurdwara at Gowliguda and a church at Nagole are also proposed along the Musi riverbanks.