PM to lay foundation stone of Rs 1,000-crore temple complex

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for a mega temple complex, coming up on the city's outskirts at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, on March 4, organisers said Friday.

Over five lakh people are expected to attend the grand foundation stone laying ceremony of the complex - Vishv Umiya Dham - they said.

The temple will be dedicated to Maa Umiya, the reigning deity of 'Kadva Patels', a sub-group of the Patidar community.

Besides a grand temple, the complex will house a skill university, hostels for boys and girls, a job placement and counselling centre for students, a counselling cell for issues related to agriculture and immigration and a centre to resolve social and commercial disputes among community members.

The entire complex, situated near SG Highway on the city's outskirts, will be spread across 30 lakh square feet, said R P Patel, a trustee of the Vishv Umiya Foundation.

"Our aim is to make this complex a social empowerment hub for our ...