| Building Name: | Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan |
| Location: | Sir Gobardhan, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Religious Affiliation: | Ravidassia |
| Architecture: | yes |
| Architecture Style: | Mughal architecture |
| Groundbreaking: | 14 June 1965 |
| Year Completed: | 1972 (initial structure), 1994 (current structure) |
Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan Mandir, located in Sir Gobardhan, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, is an important cultural and religious site for Dalits, Ravidasis, Ad-Dharmis, and Ramdasia Sikhs. It was built to mark the birthplace of Ravidas. Millions of devotees gather there for Ravidas's birthday each year.
In the mid-1960s, the leaders of Dera Ballan began an effort to build a place of pilgrimage at the birthplace of Ravidas. They determined that Ravidas had been born in Sir Gobardhan, and one of them, Hari Dass, laid the foundation stone for this temple on 14 June 1965 while Sarwan Dass was the head of the Dera. Dera Ballan provided funding for the first phase of the temple's construction – a small mandir was built at the site in 1972. The more impressive current structure was completed in 1994 with the help of people from India and other countries, especially overseas devotees who donated through a trust formed by Dera Ballan in 1983.[1] [2] Kanshi Ram, founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), ceremoniously installed the temple's golden dome.[3]
During the temple's construction, Dera Ballan's ownership of the temple through a trust was disputed by the All India Adi-Dharm Mission based in New Delhi. Dera Ballan responded with legal action, and they documented the ceremonies they organized at the temple to prove their ownership of it.
On 25 May 1997, Kanshi Ram of the BSP laid the foundation stone of the huge monumental gate, Guru Ravidas Gate, which leads to the temple. K. R. Narayanan, then President of India, performed the opening ceremony of the gate on 16 July 1998.[4] The gate was the destination of a candle march carried out by students from Banaras Hindu University to support natives of Nepal after an earthquake in April 2015.[5]
Shri Guru Ravidas Janam Asthan is an important cultural and religious site for Dalits, Ad-Dharmis/Ravidasis, and Ramdasia Sikhs.[6] [7] The birth anniversary of Ravidas is celebrated at the temple every year, attracting millions of devotees from India and abroad.[8] The festivities include musical prayer and kirtan. Dera Ballan and the All India Adi-Dharm Mission consider Sir Gobardhan to be the birthplace of Ravidas, though some scholars trace his birthplace to Mandoorgarh village, also near Varanasi.