| Location: | India |
| Type: | Educational trust |
| Website: | http://www.bhavans.info |
| Awards: | Gandhi Peace Prize |
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an Indian educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by K.M Munshi, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi.[1] The trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, 7 centres abroad and 367 constituent institutions,[2] cover "all aspects of life from the cradle to the grave and beyond – it fills a growing vacuum in modern life", as Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru observed when he first visited the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in 1950.[3]
The trust operates a number of primary and secondary institutes in India and abroad. It organizes and runs 100 private schools in India.[4] The schools are known as Bharatiya Vidya Mandir, Bhavan's Vidya Mandir, or Bhavan's Vidyalaya.
The Bhavan significantly grew as a cultural organization and became a global foundation under the leadership of Sundaram Ramakrishnan who took over as the director after the death of Munshi in 1971. The first foreign centre was opened in London in 1972.[5]
The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Sanskritik is located at Koradi, Nagpur. It is a magnificent structure spanning two floors, each covering an area of 14,760 sq. ft.
The first floor houses the remarkable "Ramayana Darshanam Hall," a unique exhibition complex where the entire story of Lord Rama is narrated through captivating murals and oil paintings. This hall showcases 120 magnificent paintings portraying significant episodes from the Ramayana, from the birth of Sri Rama to his glorious coronation. Accompanying these masterpieces are informative write-ups in English, Hindi, and Marathi, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the epic tale.
The second floor, houses the "Bharata Mata Sadanam," a tribute to India's valiant freedom fighters and defense personnel, designed to instill a deep sense of patriotism. Within this hall, a bronze statue of Bharata Mata, along with 115 paintings depicting the heroic struggles of freedom fighters from 1857 to 1947. Additionally, it showcase 21 Paramvir Chakra Awardees and 14 paintings that vividly depict various pivotal events from India's freedom struggle, each accompanied by explanatory write-ups.
The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Sanskritik can be visited from 10:00am - 6:00pm and tickets can be booked via the official website . Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan selected and signed an MoU with Zipr to manage the visitors, and ticketing platform.
Smt. Droupadi Murmu, the President of India, inaugurated the Bhartiya Vidhya Bhavan on July 05, 2023
The current President of the Bhavan is Surendralal Mehta, and the Vice-President is Bellur Srikrishna.[6]