Source: Religion News Service, December 20, 2023
The holy city of Varanasi is a place of deep devotion, where pilgrims of the ancient Hindu tradition from around the world travel to worship at the temples that fill every block of the city.
But tucked away on the historic streets is a 100-year-old temple where there are no idols, rituals, or scriptures. This temple is dedicated to the goddess of the nation: Mother India.
Conceived by anti-British freedom fighter Shiv Prasad Gupta in 1918 and built in secret, the temple was inaugurated in 1936 by Mahatma Gandhi, who bore a vision of India as a country for all faiths and races.
But the Bharat Mata Mandir, whose main attraction is a scaled topographic map of pre-partition India, is a uniquely Indian showing of religious patriotism. And its roots in India’s struggle for independence have made it a particularly apt spot for a visit from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who toured the town on Sunday (December 17).
The full story looks at various views on Prime Minister Modi and his government as well as Indian patriotism and identity.
See also another story from RNS, this one about a small Spanish city’s bid to build Europe’s biggest Buddha.
Finally, we came across an interesting story about religion and politics in East Asia. It describes Chinese efforts to influence upcoming elections in Taiwan through the 10 million devotees of the island’s most popular deity, the sea goddess Mazu (Reuters).