In the holy city of Varanasi stands a unique Bharat Mata Mandir, a temple with a map of undivided India.
The temple is often missed by pilgrims thronging the city. However, it is a favourite among foreign tourists visiting the city, which is regarded as the spiritual capital of India.
Built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta between 1918 and 1924, Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated the temple in October 1936.
It is said Gupta thought there were so many temples where gods and goddesses are worshipped but not a single shrine where Mother India is prayed. Following this, he got the idea to build the Bharat Mata Mandir.
Famous 20th century Hindi poet Maithili Sharan Gupt composed a poem on the inauguration, which is put on a board in the building.
Located in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth campus, there are no gods and goddesses in the temple. Instead, it houses a map of undivided India carved out of Makrana marble.
The map comprises Afghanistan, Balochistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Burma (now Myanmar) and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
It has a detailed layout of 450 mountain ranges and peaks, vast plains, plateaus, oceans, rivers and water bodies. It also shows the scale and depth of the geographical entities mentioned in it.
The temple was constructed under the guidance of Durga Prasad Khatri and bears the names of 30 workers and 25 masons who were engaged in its construction.
It is currently looked after by Gupta’s family. National festivals such as Republic Day and Independence Day are celebrated here with much enthusiasm.
The temple is a rare instance of a shrine dedicated to nationalism and not any religion, is a tribute to everyone who participated in the making of India.
