Varanasi: The ambitious urban transport ropeway is rapidly taking shape over the ancient city, promising not only relief from congested roads but also a new aerial window into the spiritual and cultural landscape of Kashi.Designed as more than just a mass transit system, the ropeway is being developed as a tribute to Varanasi’s timeless identity. Its stations will reflect the city’s religious, cultural and artistic heritage, with facades featuring sacred symbols such as the cow, the Ganga, the trident and the damru. Figures of Lord Buddha will highlight the spiritual legacy of nearby Sarnath, while station walls will feature artistic depictions of the Ganga and Varanasi’s historic ghats.The project is expected to ease traffic pressure on some of the city’s busiest roads while also emerging as a major attraction for visitors. Once operational, passengers will be able to travel above the city and get aerial views of its densely packed lanes, temples, ghats and riverfront.Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) vice-chairman Purna Borah said that Kashi is known across the world for its religion, spirituality, culture and art, and the ropeway’s design has been planned to reflect these aspects. The stations and gondolas are being developed to showcase the city’s traditions, handicrafts, music, spirituality and religious heritage, he said.The use of Chunar sandstone and intricate carvings is expected to give the stations an architectural character in keeping with the historic identity of Kashi. Stone artwork will also highlight the city’s traditional craftsmanship.The ropeway will connect Cantt with Godowlia through five stations — Cantt Ropeway Station, Vidyapith Station, Rath Yatra Station, Godowlia Girjaghar Station and Godowlia Station.Officials said construction of the first three stations is nearing completion, while work on the remaining section up to Godowlia is progressing rapidly. Once operational, gondolas are expected to arrive every one-and-a-half to two minutes. The system will have the capacity to carry around 3,000 passengers per hour in one direction and nearly 6,000 passengers per hour in both directions.The journey between Godowlia and Cantt railway station is expected to take around 16 minutes. The ropeway will have 148 trolley cars, each with a capacity of 10 passengers, and is planned to operate for nearly 16 hours a day.By combining urban transport with the visual and cultural identity of the ancient city, the project is expected to offer commuters and tourists alike a new perspective of Kashi from above.
