Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during her Union Budget speech on July 23 that corridor projects will be built for the Vishnupad Temple at Gaya and the Mahabodhi Temple at Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
- These will be modelled on the successful Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor, to transform them into world-class pilgrim and tourist destinations.
- Vishnupad temple is dedicated to Lord Vishu. Legend says a demon or asura named Gayasur asked the gods to give him powers, which would allow anyone who saw him to attain moksha — freedom from the cycle of rebirth.
- Devotees visit the temple during pitra paksh, a period in the Hindu calendar when people take part in rituals to remember their ancestors.
- Architecturally, the temple is around 100 feet tall and has 44 pillars. It is located on the banks of the Falgu river and was built in 1787 on the orders of Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Ahmadnagar.
