Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated a state-of-the-art centre that he says will make Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, an attractive destination for conferences and pull in tourists and businesspersons to the city. The Prime Minister also shared the aerial shots of the building on his Facebook account.
Named "Rudraksh", the international cooperation and convention centre will offer a glimpse of the cultural richness of the ancient city.
As many as 108 Rudraksha have been installed at the centre, its roof mimics a Shiva Linga, officials said, adding that the building is powered by LED lights.
"Now that Kashi is being adorned with so many development projects in the last 7 years, how could this adornment be completed without Rudraksha? Now that Kashi has worn this Rudraksh, the development of Kashi will shine more, and the beauty of Kashi will increase more," said PM Modi during the inauguration ceremony.
"There's one more person whom I can't forget to mention today. Another friend of mine from Japan - Shinzo Abe. When he came to Kashi as Prime Minister, I had a discussion with him on the idea of Rudraksh. He immediately instructed his officials to work on this project," the Prime Minister added.
Located at the posh Sigra area on 2.87 hectares of land, the two-storey structure has a seating capacity of 1,200 people.
The objective, say officials, is to provide opportunities for social and cultural interactions between people at the international convention centre. They say it will strengthen the city's competitiveness by developing its tourism sector.
It is ideal for holding international conferences, exhibitions and music concerts and other events. The gallery exhibits murals depicting Varanasi's art, culture and music, they added.
The convention centre, built with the assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency, can be partitioned into smaller spaces when needed.
An environment-friendly building, the centre is equipped with adequate security and safety systems.
It features a regular entrance, a service entrance and a separate VIP entrance, making it an ideal destination for holding all types of international events.
PM Modi will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of multiple development projects worth over Rs 1,500 crore, the officials added.
(With agency inputs)
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