LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Lucknow on Thursday, December 25, to mark the 101st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister and Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. During the visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Rashtra Prerna Sthal and address a public gathering, according to an official release.

The inauguration is scheduled for around 2.30 pm. The Rashtra Prerna Sthal has been developed as a national memorial and inspirational complex, envisioned as a space linked to leadership values, public service and India’s cultural legacy.

A landmark memorial on Lucknow’s outskirts

Located on Hardoi Road on the outskirts of the state capital, the Rashtra Prerna Sthal is spread over 65 acres. The complex features three bronze statues, each 65 feet high, of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Each statue weighs around 42 tonnes and stands on individual platforms surrounded by water bodies.

The project has been constructed at an approximate cost of ₹230 crore. It has been developed under the Basant Kunj scheme of the Lucknow Development Authority, with construction work beginning in 2022. Officials said the memorial has been planned as a long-term national asset linked to leadership development, national service and public engagement.

Museum showcasing national journey

A major feature of the complex is a museum designed in a lotus-shaped structure, spread across nearly 98,000 square feet. The museum presents India’s national journey and the contributions of the three leaders through digital displays and immersive installations.

The museum includes five galleries and 12 interpretation walls dedicated to the lives and work of Mookerjee, Upadhyaya and Vajpayee. Orientation films on their lives will be screened in two separate rooms. Visitors will also find sections documenting the formation of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the ideological predecessor of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Poems and speeches of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, quotations associated with Syama Prasad Mookerjee and Deendayal Upadhyaya, and audio presentations related to their role in public life and nation-building form part of the exhibits.

Facilities for public events

Apart from the statues and museum, the Rashtra Prerna Sthal includes several public facilities. An amphitheatre with a seating capacity of around 3,000 people has been built within the complex. Other facilities include a meditation hall, a yoga centre and a musical block.

The memorial also has helipads and a large rally ground with the capacity to accommodate over two lakh people, officials said.

The complex will be opened to the public following its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi later today.