Bharat Mata Temple

Bharat Mata Temple in Varanasi is a unique temple dedicated not to any deity but to Mother India herself. Built in 1936 and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, the temple houses a relief map of undivided India carved entirely in marble on its ground floor. The map depicts mountains, plains, rivers, and oceans with remarkable detail, allowing visitors to visualise the geography of the subcontinent. The temple was conceived by freedom fighter Shiv Prasad Gupt as a monument to national unity and patriotism. It stands as one of the few temples in India where the nation itself is the object of veneration.