Ujjain Set to Get New Transit 'Lifeline' with Mahakaleshwar Temple Ropeway Project Approved by Centre

The Mahakaleshwar Temple Ropeway Project in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district has been sanctioned, union minister of road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Tuesday.

In a post on social media site X, Gadkari said that the project will reduce travel time by almost 75%, from 25-30 minutes now to a mere seven minutes with the ropeway. It will connect Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga with Ujjain railway station.

National Highways & Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) is a body under MoRTH.

The 1.7 km project will have three stations starting from Ujjain railway station. It will connect Triveni Museum and Ganesh Colony as well.

Gadkari also said that the project will utilise monocable detachable gondola technology and will significantly enhance convenience for around 64,000 devotees daily, accommodating 2,000 passengers per hour per direction.

News18 has learnt that the project is expected to be ready by July 2026.

The ministry in the last couple of months has shifted its focus on the ropeway projects, particularly in the urban setup and remote locations.

Another project, India’s first urban ropeway, is coming up in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi that will also connect the Kashi Vishwanath temple with the Varanasi Cantt railway station, reducing the travel time to just 16 minutes from 45 minutes now.

The foundation of the Varanasi ropeway project was laid in March 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Costing around Rs 650 crore, it is expected to be ready by March 2025.

It is almost four kilometres long with a monocable detachable gondola and 29 towers. It will have five stations including Vidhya Peeth, Rath Yatra, and Girja, and carry nearly one lakh passengers per day.

At least eight ropeway projects are expected to be ready by 2026 in India, several of them connecting famous temples.