AMRITSAR: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced that a grand temple dedicated to Luv, Kush and Mata Janaki will be built in Amritsar, while the Punjab chief minister said his government will leave no stone unturned in constructing it.The site of the proposed temple will be next to the temple of Lord Valmiki, Kejriwal said.“I returned from Ayodhya only yesterday after offering prayers to Ram Lalla at the Shri Ram mandir. Today, I am extremely happy to make this announcement,” he said.This is not just good news for the people of Amritsar but for devotees of Ram and Sita across the world, the AAP national convener said.“Amritsar is also home to the Durgiana Mandir. It has Jallianwala Bagh, a symbol of patriotism, and the Wagah Border. Most importantly, Bhagwan Valmiki wrote the Ramayana while residing in Amritsar.“Mata Sita, lived here. Luv and Kush were born here, and they received their education here. When Bhagwan Ram released the horse for the Ashwamedha Yagna, it was here that Luv and Kush stopped the horse and tied it to a tree,” he said.Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said his government will leave no stone unturned in “constructing this magnificent temple on this sacred land”.“It will emerge as a major centre of faith and attract devotees and tourists from across the world, as Luv and Kush were born and educated here,” Mann said.Kejriwal also announced the expansion of the ‘Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra Yojna’ with new pilgrimage routes and the staging of the play ‘Hamare Ram’ across Punjab from August 1.He further said that the series of ‘Ek Shaam Shiv Ji Ke Naam’ spiritual programme, which started in Jalandhar has now reached Amritsar, and it will soon be organised across all 22 cities of Punjab. The state government is undertaking the redevelopment of the famous Kali Mata Temple at a cost of Rs 80 crore in Patiala, Kejriwal said, adding that it will be completed by September.“I believe that once completed, it will become the largest temple in the whole of north India,” he said.Talking about the expansion of the Mukh Mantri Teerath Yatra Yojna, he said, “At present, the teerath (pilgrimage) scheme operates on two routes, one to Darbar Sahib and the other to Anandpur Sahib. Now, three more routes are being introduced.“One route will cover Salasar and Khatu Shyam Ji, the second will cover Haridwar and Rishikesh, and the third will cover Mathura and Vrindavan.” The new routes are expected to begin around 1 August, and nearly 1.5 lakh pilgrims will be taken on these journeys, the former Delhi chief minister said.
