For Every Aurangzeb, There's Been A Shivaji: Modi In Kashi

Opens Corridor; Hails Resilience Of City, India

- Rajeev Dikshit

Varanasi: In a rousing tribute to tradition from the newly opened Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor, PM Narendra Modi on Monday hailed the holy city of Kashi as an “imperishable” confluence of the ancient and the new that has come to symbolise “the unique resilience of the people of this land in fighting off a long line of tyrants and invaders”.

“Whenever an Aurangzeb comes along, a Shivaji rises. For every Salar Masud, there is a brave warrior like King Suheldev to show the world the might of India’s unity,” the PM said from the decked-out courtyard of the shrine that is now linked to the Ganga ghats by a 400m-long corridor.

“Invaders like Aurangzeb who put Kashi to the sword have long been relegated to the dark pages of history, while this ancient holy city is writing a new chapter of glory,” Modi said, pointing to Kashi’s endurance as proof that “the soil of this country is different from the rest of the world”. The new Kashi Vishwanath Dham complex, he said, is a symbol of “Sanatan culture”.

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