Bharat Mata

Common card · No. 294657

Bharat Mata (Bhārat Mātā, Mother India) is a national personification of India as a mother goddess and a symbol of Indian nationalism. She is commonly depicted wearing a red or saffron sari, sometimes holding the national flag, and accompanied by a lotus and a lion. The concept originated in the Bengali literature and art in the late 19th century and was popularised by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee's 1882 novel Anandamath. She subsequently became an important symbol during the Indian independence movement and became widely represented in Indian art, posters, magazines and calendars. There are several Bharat Mata temples in India, the first of which was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in Varanasi in 1936.

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