Bhopal, Oct 21 (IANS): Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Monday said that the government has decided to establish ashrams for priests in the religiously significant city of Ujjain.

Yadav said that the 'sadhu sanyasis' or ascetics and other devotees of Lord Mahakal visiting Ujjain are facing a tough time finding a suitable place to stay there.

"Lakhs of Sadhu Sanyaasi will be coming to Ujjain during the Simhastha Mela in 2028. Therefore, we have decided to develop multiple ashrams on the lines of Haridwar," Yadav said, addressing a press conference in Ujjain on Monday.

Ujjain Development Authority (UDA) has been directed to identify the land and prepare a complete road map for the construction of ashrams. "Ashrams would be permanent with enough space where more than 5 lakh people could assemble at a time," he added.

Simhastha Mela, the largest congregation of Hindus which is held once in 12 years, holds a special place nationally and globally, and the preparations are in full swing keeping all these factors in mind.

The state government has already sanctioned a budget of Rs 5,882 crore for Simhastha Mela for several projects, including the construction of ghats along the Kshipra River.

This time, around 15 crore visitors from across the world are expected to visit Ujjain during the month-long Simhastha Kumbh Mela, which will be held in the religious city of Ujjain in 2028.

Simhastha Kumbh Mela was last held in 2016. It had then received around 7.5 crore visitors from across the world, according to the government.

As a large number of visitors would land at Indore airport and then drive off to Ujjain for Simhastha Mela, the road connectivity between these two cities would be crucial. Besides this, the Madhya Pradesh government has also been working on strengthening rail connectivity between the two cities.

The prominent cities of Ujjain and Indore are 54 km apart, which by road, amounts to a travel time of one hour and 21 minutes.