Mural depicting Akhand Bharat features in new Parliament

NEW DELHI, May 28: A mural representing the map of ancient India has featured in the new Parliament building, evoking reactions from the masses.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Sunday said that the mural in the new Parliament building representing the map of ancient India shows the “resolve” for an Akhand Bharat.
“The resolve is clear – Akhand Bharat,” Joshi said while taking to Twitter.
Important kingdoms and ancient cities have been marked in the mural showing ancient India till Taxila or Takshashila, currently in Pakistan was part of India.
The BJP’s Karnataka unit shared photographs of the artworks inside the new Parliament House, including the murals of ancient India, Chanakya, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and B R Ambedkar and the cultural diversity of the country.
“It is a symbol of the vitality of our proud great civilisation,” the Karnataka BJP said on its Twitter handle.
“Akhand Bharat in New Parliament. It represents our powerful & self-reliant India,” Manoj Kotak, Lok Sabha member from Mumbai North-East, said on Twitter.
Akhand Bharat concept refers to the undivided India whose geographical area included present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.
Modi dedicated the new Parliament building to the country on Sunday after a ceremony that witnessed a multi-faith prayer.
After the pictures of the mural went viral, many also claimed it represents the resolve for an Akhand Bharat, described as a “cultural concept” by the RSS.
A number of Twitter users welcomed the depiction of ‘Akhand Bharat’ in the new Parliament building and wondered whether it was the reason for the Opposition boycott of the function.
“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 said.
Gadanayak was involved in the selection of artworks displayed in the new Parliament building.
According to the RSS, the Akhand Bharat concept refers to the undivided India whose geographical expanse was very wide in ancient times — present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand.
However, the RSS now maintains that the Akhand Bharat concept, in the present times, should be seen in the cultural context and not political given the partition of India on religious lines at the time of Independence. (Agencies)