Over the past two years, the narrow pathway leading through shops and buildings to the renowned Vindhyachal Temple has undergone significant renovations. One devotee shared that the brief moments spent gazing at the Devi made the journey’s distance, heat, and miles feel insignificant. A mother of two from Pratapgarh, moved to tears, struggled to pull herself away from the Deity. After wiping her tears of devotion, she found herself in a large, clean compound for exiting pilgrims, meticulously washed and wiped. The intricate geometry and stone carvings caught her eye. The cleanliness and construction details of the under-construction temple corridor stand in stark contrast to the past difficulties of darshan, even for locals. For this author, the visit to the Mirzapur polling ground provided a chance for darshan of the Devi of the Vindhyas and a glimpse of India’s fourth rebuilt temple corridor, following Kashi, Ujjain, and Ayodhya.
One entrance of the under-construction corridor at the Ma Vindhyavasini Mandir faces a shop selling ornate scarves and worship-related items, run by Ganesh Soni and Munna Jaiswal. This area is highly sought after. “The government initiated the corridor project at an opportune moment. The lull during and after the COVID-19 pandemic was when change was budding here. Work is progressing at a good pace,” said Sunil Prajapati, a voter. He mentioned that complaints about business losses due to the development work for the temple corridor stem from shortsightedness. He explained, “This entire area outside our shops was in a terrible state. Critics of the government fail to see that the development has made visits safer and more secure for devotees, improved our business prospects, and, most importantly, prepared the vicinity for a daily footfall of 500,000 during the Navratri festival.”
