Installation of 18th century Goddess Annapurna idol today in Kashi

Varanasi, Nov 15: The 18th-century idol of Goddess Annapurna, which has been brought back from Canada, will be installed at a newly-constructed Annapurna temple inside the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor on Monday. The idol, which was carried through the state in a resplendent chariot, entered Varanasi hours after Sunday midnight.

The mega procession had started from Delhi on November 11, following a grand ceremony to hand over the ancient idol to Uttar Pradesh government representatives. The "pran pratistha" (consecration) of the deity will place in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

District Magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma said that the idol will arrive at Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor and the rituals for consecration will begin in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal said, "A temple has been constructed in 'ishan kon' (north-east corner) as per vastu shashtra and the shrine is adjacent to the northern entry gate of Kashi Vishwanath Dham (corridor) area." This idol was stolen from Kashi and smuggled to Canada a century ago.