Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar announces Bharat Mata temple in Kurukshetra

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced on Monday that his government would build a Bharat Mata temple in Kurukshetra and improve the city’s infrastructure for pilgrims, calling it a centre of religious and cultural tourism. He was speaking at a news conference in Chandigarh while the International Gita Mahotsav-2019 was under way in Kurukshetra.

The temple plan

The temple will come up on five acres somewhere between Jyotisar and Brahamsarovar, Khattar said. Answering a question about it, he described the proposed Bharat Mata Ka Mandir as a future cultural centre and a symbol of unity.

To promote Kurukshetra as a tourist destination and a “centre of religious faith”, the government is considering a policy to offer other states plots of 1,500 to 2,000 square metres at concessional rates so they can build Bhawans for pilgrims. Khattar said the Kurukshetra Development Board and several social and religious organisations were also working to develop Kurukshetra as a hub of religion and culture. He listed upcoming institutions including Giogita Sansthanam, an Akshardham temple, an ISKCON temple and Gyan Mandir, which he said would give the city a distinct international identity.

The Gita Mahotsav

The festival began on November 23 and runs until December 10, with its main programmes scheduled from December 3 to December 8. Khattar said nearly 40 lakh people had visited during the previous edition and that better infrastructure would draw many more. The Centre has allowed the Incredible India (Atulya Bharat) logo to be used during the festival, he said. He added that on December 26, Kurukshetra would witness a solar eclipse, the first visible there in 10 years, and that lakhs of pilgrims were expected for that as well.

Uttarakhand is this year’s partner state and 15 countries are taking part, the chief minister said. Delegations from Britain, Mauritius, Australia and Canada, along with ambassadors and representatives of foreign missions, are expected, as are several dignitaries. Among them are Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the BJP’s working president J. P. Nadda and Trivendra Singh Rawat, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.

See also: BJP and political leaders

Originally published on 26 November 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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