Seven sculptures are missing as you go inside the majestic Mahakal Corridor in Ujjain, the spiritual center of Madhya Pradesh. They had collapsed in a burst of wind in May, sparking a political uproar in the state that was going to the polls.
The seven sculptures of India’s greatest sages have been removed from their pedestals for maintenance and strengthening, leaving the “Saptarishi Mandal” pedestals empty. According to local officials, they will eventually be replaced by brand-new sculptures made of stone under the directives of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The state administration was accused of corruption and “not even sparing the gods” by the Congress after six out of the seven sculptures were knocked down by a burst of wind in May.
However, locals are aware of the politics behind the issue. The second phase of the project is underway, and some claim that the extension of the Mahakal Corridor would be finished before the 2018 elections.
“Look down the whole hallway… Coming here makes us feel as if we are visiting paradise since it is so mystical and lovely. Lal Chand Jangde, who is in town with his whole family, said, “We hear the sculptures will be restored shortly. The opposition made a lot of fuss over them.
The sculptures that fell were constructed of fiber-reinforced plastic, and their pedestals weren’t cemented to keep them from losing their beauty. The Kamal Nath-led government originally allocated funding for the project, but the Congress said that it was not carried out as intended, accusing the BJP of doing a poor job.
The project, according to the BJP, was fast-tracked when bids were released under Chouhan’s administration. But the dispute is significant in Ujjain.
In the competitive Ujjain district, the Congress took four of the seven seats in 2018 while the BJP took home three. The grand old party continues to use the missing sculptures of maharishis Bhardwaj, Vishwamitra, Gautam, Jamadagni, and Kashyap among others as a rallying point.
However, the BJP believes that expediting the project’s second phase—bringing the total expenditure to Rs 800 crore—will make the corridor more impressive and help put the dispute behind us. The state administration intends to move quickly with the second phase of the project after Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the first phase, costing Rs 350 crore, last October.
