'Akhand Bharat' mural finds place in new Parliament; Here's what it means

As India got its new ‘Temple of Democracy’ on Sunday, May 28, netizens can’t seem to get over the new Parliament building and are going gaga about the unseen pictures kept in the gallery of the Constitution Hall. Since the pictures of the new Parliament are circulating all over the internet, a mural depicting the image of ‘Akhand Bharat’ has gathered a lot of attention on social media leaving people divided. 

While several social media users are claiming that the mural in the new Parliament building depicts the influence of ancient Indian thought of ‘Akhand Bharat’, the other section is professing that it represents the resolve for a united India, which the RSS describes as a "cultural concept". 

Interestingly, the mural in the new Parliament building marks important kingdoms and cities of ancient India. The ‘Akhand Bharat’ mural also very clearly showcases the influence of ancient India in the then Taxila (now in neighbouring Pakistan, which was bifurcated from India in 947). 

Have a look at the ‘Akhand Bharat’ mural placed in the gallery of the new Parliament building: 

Why a mural of ‘Akhand Bharat’? 

While there is a huge outcry over the presence of the mural in the new Parliament building on social media, the Director General of the National Gallery of Modern Art revealed that the placement of the ‘Akhand Bharat’ mural was to represent the influence of Indian thought in the ancient times. 

"Our idea was to depict the influence of Indian thought during the ancient ages. It extended from the present day Afghanistan in the northwestern region to south-eastern Asia," Adwaita Gadanayak, Director General, National Gallery of Modern Art told PTI.

What is 'Akhand Bharat'?

Notably, Akhand Bharat is a term that was used for the concept of united India which includes modern-day several neigbouring countries of India, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Myanmar, as one nation. 

The idea of Akhand Bharat has been described in the ancient Bharatiya scriptures. Chanakya has also articulated the idea of an Akhand Bharat in the ancient past, meaning all states in the region should belong to one authority and administration. In fact, Hindu ideologue VD Savarkar also favoured the concept of ‘Akhand Bharat’. 

BJP terms it a ‘symbol of vitality’

While a debate has been launched on social media platforms regarding the presence of ‘Akhand Bharat’ mural, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is describing it as a ‘symbol of vitality’ which describes the civilisation. 

Thanking PM Modi for gifting the nation the new and extremely grand Parliament building, Karnataka BJP took to Twitter and shared several pictures of the interior design of the new complex. “It is a symbol of the vitality of our proud great civilisation,” the caption read. 

Unseen pictures of new Parliament gallery

Netizens clearly can't seem to get enough of the new Parliament building, apart from the debate launched regarding the mural of ‘Akhand Bharat’ in the complex, several users are also sharing pictures of various arts placed in the building depicting the different cultures and traditions of the country. 

The new Parliament complex also has a painting of Chanakya, who is considered to be a great thinker, economist, jurist, royal advisor and philosopher in Indian history. 

Here are some unseen pictures of the artefacts present in the gallery of new Parliamnet building: 

Picture of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Dr BR Ambedkar in new parliament's art gallery. (Image: Twitter @BJP4Karnataka)

The walls of the new Parliament House are adorned with paintings depicting the great orators of the country and the past glory of Hampi. (Image: Twitter @JoshiPralhad)