In his autobiography, My Experiments with Truth, Mahatma Gandhi recounts his visit to Kashi in 1916 and writes, I went to the Kashi Vishwanath temple for darshan. I was deeply pained by what I saw there ... The approach was through a narrow and slippery lane. Quiet there was none. The swarming flies and the noise made by the shopkeepers and pilgrims were perfectly insufferable. Where one expected an atmosphere of meditation and communion, it was conspicuous by its absence. The Mahatmas observations were echoed by many in subsequent years as the city was subjected to neglect over a protracted period of time. After 240 years of neglect In the medieval period Kashi faced apathy, dereliction and destruction due to the various Turkic and Mughal invasions. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple was rebuilt by the Maratha queen Ahilyabhai Holkar between 1777 and 1780 and this was the last major rejuvenation the city witnessed. Now Kashi is seeing its first major transformation after 240 years. The journey required grit, determination, creativity, patience and consensus-building, and a lot of the credit accrues to Prime Minister Narendra Modis resolve to enrich the experience of those visiting Kashi. The Kashi Dham and various development projects being undertaken ensure that the spiritual capital of the world provides a seamless, holistic and immersive experience.

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Varanasi: Spiritual and structural rejuvenation - Times of India