VARANASI: If Varanasi — founded, according to legend, by Lord Shiva himself — is the religious and spiritual capital of India with its 23,000 temples, 84 ghats and a culture steeped in aeons of tradition, it’s soon to get a shrine to the country’s ‘other’ big religion: cricket. And, what’s more, it’ll bear the stamp of Shiva when it’s completed in April next year.
Promising to blend sport and faith, the ultra-modern, 30,000-seater Varanasi International Cricket Stadium is coming up at a cost of Rs 452 crore at Gajari village in Raja Talab tehsil, 22km from the storied ghats of the temple town.
The stadium’s architecture includes a crescent-shaped canopy that represents the moon on Shiva’s head, a media centre in the shape of a pellet drum (‘damru’), trident-shaped floodlights, seating arrangement inspired by the steps of Kashi’s ghats, and an outer facade adorned with ‘bael patra’ motifs.“
From its Shiva-inspired architecture to solar-powered design, the stadium represents the future of cricket venues in India — sustain-able, inclusive, and rooted in heritage,” said BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla.
PM Narendra Modi, the local MP, laid the foundation stone for the stadium in Sept 2023. Construction — L&T is building the stadium — is expected to be completed within the April 2026 deadline and the talk is that it could host a few IPL matches as early as next season.
The main arena will have nine pitches — four of red soil, three black soil and a couple of mixed wickets. Different kinds of pitches is something of a novelty and has been previously adopted only by the Ekana Stadium and Narendra Modi Stadium. The stadium blocks will also have space for dormitories to house 100 trainees of a proposed academy.
UPCA is also setting up solar panels, a water recycling system and an EV recharging facility at the stadium. “We are probably the first to install EV recharging stations,” an official said. The stadium also features a “high-end drainage system” with officials saying it should not take ground staff more than 30 minutes after a downpour to make the ground fit for play.
Promising to blend sport and faith, the ultra-modern, 30,000-seater Varanasi International Cricket Stadium is coming up at a cost of Rs 452 crore at Gajari village in Raja Talab tehsil, 22km from the storied ghats of the temple town.
The stadium’s architecture includes a crescent-shaped canopy that represents the moon on Shiva’s head, a media centre in the shape of a pellet drum (‘damru’), trident-shaped floodlights, seating arrangement inspired by the steps of Kashi’s ghats, and an outer facade adorned with ‘bael patra’ motifs.“
From its Shiva-inspired architecture to solar-powered design, the stadium represents the future of cricket venues in India — sustain-able, inclusive, and rooted in heritage,” said BCCI vice president Rajeev Shukla.
PM Narendra Modi, the local MP, laid the foundation stone for the stadium in Sept 2023. Construction — L&T is building the stadium — is expected to be completed within the April 2026 deadline and the talk is that it could host a few IPL matches as early as next season.
The main arena will have nine pitches — four of red soil, three black soil and a couple of mixed wickets. Different kinds of pitches is something of a novelty and has been previously adopted only by the Ekana Stadium and Narendra Modi Stadium. The stadium blocks will also have space for dormitories to house 100 trainees of a proposed academy.
UPCA is also setting up solar panels, a water recycling system and an EV recharging facility at the stadium. “We are probably the first to install EV recharging stations,” an official said. The stadium also features a “high-end drainage system” with officials saying it should not take ground staff more than 30 minutes after a downpour to make the ground fit for play.
You may also like
Golf: Shubhankar Sharma starts well in Round 1 DP World Tour in Hainan
Big Brother star 'terrified' as she feels forced to leave the UK
State pension update as £800m blunder is discovered - check if you're hit
Congress MP Pramod Twari calls for free hand to security forces after Pahalgam terror attack
Cambodia on verge of achieving malaria-free goal: PM Hun
