Ancient idol of Mata Annapurna, brought from Canada after 100 years, re-established in Kashi.
The 18th-century idol of the goddess Annapurna, which has been brought over from Canada, will be installed today in a newly built Annapurna temple within the corridor of the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The idol, which was carried by the state in a glowing chariot, entered Varanasi hours after midnight on Sunday.
The mega procession had started in Delhi on November 11, after a grand ceremony to hand over the ancient idol to representatives of the Uttar Pradesh government.
The “pran pratistha” (consecration) of the deity will be placed in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said the idol has reached the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor and consecration rituals are underway.
Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal said: “A temple has been built in ‘ishan kon’ (northeast corner) as per Vastu shastra and the shrine is adjacent to the northern entrance gate of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham area (corridor).”
This idol was stolen from Kashi and smuggled into Canada a century ago.
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