While the world leaders gather in Delhi to deliberate upon pressing economic and other issues facing the world, the Bharat Mandapam will play a crucial role in the G20 Summit, which begins today.
Bharat Mandapam, situated in the national capital’s Pragati Maidan, will not only host leaders including Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak and Emmanuel Macron, but also be the venue for the ‘working lunch’, hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, for the world leaders.
PM Modi on Friday changed his display picture on X (formerly Twitter) to that of the Bharat Mandapam, the venue of the G20 summit. The picture shows a brightly-lit Bharat Mandapam with a Nataraja statue installed there.
Here is all you need to know about Bharat Mandapam:
- It was officially inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on July 26 and boasts of cutting-edge amenities, including exhibition halls, a convention center, and an amphitheatre.
- During the G20 summit, Bharat Mandapam will also serve as the stage for a rich tapestry of traditions hailing from 29 different countries, including India and the special invitees. It will also display physical and virtual exhibitions, creating an immersive experience for visitors
- The venue hosts a monumental bronze statue of Nataraja, towering at a height of 27 ft and crafted from Ashtadhatu, weighing approximately 18 tons. The sculpture was crafted by the renowned sculptor Radhakrishnan Sthapaty, hailing from Swami Malai in Tamil Nadu, who completed the masterpiece within a mere seven months.
- Bharat Mandapam will serve as a promoter of India as a premier global business hub and the architectural marvel has been designed to serve as a venue for large-scale international exhibitions, trade expos, conventions, conferences, and various prestigious assemblies.
- The venue also has an impressive multi-purpose hall and plenary hall that can together accommodate up to seven thousand attendees, surpassing the seating capacity of Sydney Opera House in Australia.
- Built at an investment of around Rs 2,700 crores, it has numerous meeting rooms, auditoriums, lounges, amphitheatre, and a fully-equipped business center, making it apt to host a wide spectrum of events.
- Bharat Mandapam covers an area of 123 acres and has been developed as India’s largest MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination. With a huge campus area and state of the art facilities, it ranks among the top exhibition and convention complexes globally.
What does ‘Bharat Mandapam’ mean?
Bharat Mandapam draws inspiration from “Lord Basaveshwara’s concept of Anubhav Mandapam”, which was a platform for public ceremonies.
It will be open to the public and will offer comprehensive facilities and extensive amenities to contribute to the country’s ambition of advancing into a contemporary and developed society.
Bharat Mandapam Architectural Design
The architecture of the Bharat Mandapam building draws inspiration from “India’s rich traditions”. The shape of the building is inspired by the elegant form of the Shankha, or conch shell.
The state-of-the-art international convention-cum-exhibition centre embraces the fluidity of river Yamuna, which flows through the city, in its elliptical design devoid of any sharp edges — a theme that also reflects in the pavilions and the galleries.
“Hundreds of years back, the Yamuna flowed through this site. If you look at the convention centre, we have created it in very fluid lines. Fluidity is the nature of water. Similarly, the convention centre does not have any sharp edges. It is elliptical, there are two ramps which come down," Sanjay Singh, Director, Arcop Associates, and the architect of the project told PTI.
The Bharat Mandapam also abuts Lutyens’ Delhi and also has a ‘Window to Delhi’ at the highest level which looks out to the Kartavya Path, the India Gate and the canopies of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
