Bharat Mata
Bhārat Mātā (Hindi, from Sanskrit भारत माता, Bhārata Mātā), Mother India, or Bhāratāmbā ( Sanskrit: भारताम्बा; अम्बा ambā means 'mother')(Urdu: بھارت ماتا) is the national personification of India as a mother goddess. She is usually depicted as a woman clad in a saffron sari holding a flag, and sometimes accompanied by a lion.1
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Historic perspective
The image of Bhāratmātā formed with the Indian independence movement of the late 19th century. A play by Kiran Chandra Bannerjee, Bhārat Mātā, was first performed in 1873. Bankim Chandra Chatterji's 1882 novel Anandamath introduced the hymn "Vande Mātaram",2 which soon became the song of the emerging freedom movement in India.
Bipin Chandra Pal insisted that elaborated its meaning in idealizing and idealist terms, along with Hindu philosophical traditions and devotional practices. It represented an archaic spiritual essence, a transcedental idea of Universe as well as expressing Universal Hinduism and nationhood.3
Abanindranath Tagore portrayed Bhārat Mātā as a four-armed Hindu goddess wearing saffron-colored robes, holding a book, sheaves of rice, a mala, and a white cloth.4 The image of Bharatmata was an icon to create nationalist feeling in Indians during the freedom struggle. Sister Nivedita, an admirer of the painting, opined that the picture was refined and imaginative, with Bharatmata standing on green earth and blue sky behind her; feet with four lotuses, four arms meaning divine power; white halo and sincere eyes; and gifts Shiksha-Diksha-Anna-Bastra of motherland to her children.5
Significance
As the conception of Bhārat Mātā predates The partition of India, she is intended to represent "Aryavarta", the motherland of Hinduism in Hindu nationalism, not merely restricted to the secular Republic of India, and Bhārat Mātā remains a symbol of the "vision of a unified motherland" in Hindu nationalist thought. A Bhārat Mātā temple in Haridwar was built by in 1983 by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).6
The depiction of India as a Hindu goddess implies that it is not just the patriotic but also the religious duty of all Indians to participate in the nationalist struggle to defend the nation.7
The motto Bharat Mata ki Jai’ ("Victory for Mother India") is used by various Hindu organizations and by the Indian Army.
Bharat Mata temples
At Varanasi
The temple is located in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth campus, Varanasi.8
The idol of Bharat Mata is built in marble and is a model of undivided India, depicting the mountains, plains and oceans. The temple also houses a relief map of India, carved out of marble.8
It was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. The Temple was gifted by the nationalists Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta (later awarded Bharat Ratna) and shri Durga Prasad Khatri, leading numismatists and antiquarians.8 Mahatma Gandhi said, "I hope this temple, which will serve as a cosmopolitan platform for people of all religions, castes, and creeds including Harijans, will go a great way in promoting religious unity, peace, and love in the country."citation needed
At Haridwar
The temple was founded by Swami Satyamitranand Giri, on the banks of the Ganges in Haridwar. It is 8 storeyed and 180 feet high.9
It was inaugurated by Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India, in 1983.9
Floors are dedicated to mythological legends, religious deities, freedom fighters and leaders. The first floor has a statue of the Bharatmata stands along with freedom fighters including Subhash Chandra Bose, Veer Savarkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Chatrapati Shivaji, Guru Govind Singh, Rani of Jhansi and more. The second floor is dedicated to Indian women and the holy wedlock of India. The 3rd floor is dedicated to Indian philosophy and the concept of sainthood. The 4th floor showcases displays co-existence of various religions. The 5th floor is dedicated to female shakti through Goddess as mother and as the savior from the perils. The 6th floor is dedicated to the incarnations of the Hindu God, Vishnu. The 7th floor is dedicated to Lord Shiva in his various manifestations. The 8th floor or top floor has a Kalasha that shines in the sunlight.9
References
- ^ Visualizing space in Banaras: images, maps, and the practice of representation, Martin Gaenszle, Jörg Gengnagel, illustrated, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006, ISBN 3-447-05187-6, ISBN 978-3-447-05187-3
- ^ Kinsley, David. Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions. Motilal Banarsidass, New Delhi, India. ISBN 81-208-0379-5. pp. 181-182.
- ^ Producing India, Manu Goswami, Orient Blackswan, 2004, ISBN 81-7824-107-2, ISBN 978-81-7824-107-4
- ^ Specters of Mother India: the global restructuring of an empire, Mrinalini Sinha, Zubaan, 2006, ISBN 18988400X, ISBN 978-81-89884-00-0
- ^ The Goddess and the Nation: Mapping Mother India, Sumathi Ramaswamy, Duke University Press, 2010, ISBN 0-8223-4610-9, ISBN 978-0-8223-4610-4
- ^ Lise McKean, 'Bharat Mata: Mother India and Her Militant Matriots' in: John Stratton Hawley, Donna M. Wulff (eds.) Devī: goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass, 1998, ISBN 978-81-208-1491-2, p. 250-280.
- ^ Kalyani Devaki Menon, Everyday Nationalism: Women of the Hindu Right in India: The Ethnography of Political Violence, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009, ISBN 978-0-8122-4196-9, p. 89f.
- ^ a b c IMPORTANT TEMPLES OF VARANASI, varanasi.nic.in
- ^ a b c Bharat Mata Temple, mapsofIndia.com
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bharat Mata |
- Patriotic fervour The Hindu, August 17, 2003.
- The life and times of Bharat Mata Sadan Jha, Manushi, Issue 142.
- Bharat Mata Images Prof. Pritchett, Columbia University