`Temples of democracy' based on designs of temples of Morena, Vidisha: MP CM

Ujjain, Aug 27 (PTI) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday said the architecture of the temple of Indian democracy, Parliament, is based on the designs of the ancient temples of Morena and Vidisha in the state.

Speaking at the Second Global Spiritual Tourism Conclave 'Rooh-Mantic' here, Yadav said Ujjain is a city of time, and "today's time belongs to India." "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given us the vision to accelerate spiritual tourism in India. Devi Ahilya Bai built the temple of Baba Vishwanath in Kashi. King Vikramaditya of Ujjain had built the (Mahakal) temple 2000 years ago, which was demolished during the period of Babar," he said.

"The old Parliament house of the country is built (modelled) on the design of the temple of Morena (Chousath Yogini Temple) and the new building is built on the design of the Bijamandal temple of Vidisha. This is a matter of pride for us. Our temples can also be the basis of democracy," said the chief minister.

"There is no better place in the world than India for self-reflection. Today countries may have boundaries, but religion and culture have no boundaries. Indian culture has spread to Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said.

The conclave envisions public welfare through pilgrimage along with tourism, he said.

Addressing the event, Union Tourism and Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that chief minister Yadav has resolved to make Madhya Pradesh a developed state.

Referring to the country's rich cultural heritage, Shekhawat said, "Many cultures were born in the world, but Indian culture is still alive. Our culture faced invasion for 2,000 years, suffered slavery for 200 years, but today Indian culture is rich. Two and a half thousand years ago, when humans were searching for their existence in the world, there was a tradition of pilgrimage in India." Adi Shankaracharya introduced the world to Indian culture by traveling as far as Persia, he said.

Talking about the cultural unity of modern India, he said an example of this was the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj where people of every religion and sect gathered and gave the message of world peace.

Hundreds of years ago, when there wasn't much infrastructure, people in India would undertake pilgrimages to Kedarnath and Badrinath, the Union minister said.

During the tenure of Prime Minister Modi, the country's economy has grown rapidly and the tourist footfall in Ujjain has increased, said Shekhawat.

The number of people who used to visit the city over the course of a year earlier now visit in just one and a half weeks, he said.

There is a cut-throat competition among the states to develop tourism, the minister said, adding that Madhya Pradesh, being at the heart of Incredible India, has immense possibilities in the sector.

Principal Secretary, Culture and Tourism, Shivshekhar Shukla said as many as 11 crore tourists visited Madhya Pradesh in 2023, and 13 crore in 2024.

Tourism in the state is growing at the rate of 20 percent per year. Ujjain is at the top among religious tourism sites in the state, with seven crore people visiting last year, the official said.

PHD Chamber of Commerce president Anil Parashar said the number of foreign tourists in India has increased in the last one year. About 66 crore people visited Prayagraj Mahakumbh while 13.5 crore people visited the Ram temple in Ayodhya, he noted.

Preparations are on for Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2028 in Ujjain, and new bridges, roads and ghats are being built, he said, expressing confidence that Ujjain will become a global center of religious tourism. PTI MAS KRK