Summary:
Varanasi, Dec 13 (PTI) Lauding the resilience of India"s civilisational heritage here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said tyrants like Aurangzeb tried to destroy Kashi but were consigned to the "black pages" of history while the ancient city is now writing a new chapter of its glory.
In a speech after inaugurating the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, which has renovated and expanded the temple"s premises, Modi said India is now stepping out of the "inferiority" complex brought on it by centuries of slavery.
He asserted that the new Kashi corridor will give a decisive direction to the country and lead it to a bright future.
Arriving in the holy city, also his parliamentary constituency, Modi paid obeisance at the Kaal Bhairav Temple and then took a dip in the Ganga, from where he collected holy water for worship at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
A new history is being created, he said in the speech that mentioned Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Muslim invader Salar Masud and British governor-general Warren Hastings.
Sultanates rose and fell but Benaras remained, he said.