A ‘Mini India’ in Delhi heartland

On the lines of the “Mini Europe” in Brussels of Belgium, the 220-acre entertainment destination is envisioned as a national, cultural and recreational landmark

Look left, and there’s the Parliament House; in the same eyeline, the Hawa Mahal stands, and nearby is a Jammu and Kashmir boathouse, nestled among notable temples, heritage sites, and architectural marvels from across India. This is the “Mini India” zone of the upcoming Bharat Vandana Park in Dwarka Sector 20, which is in the final stages of construction as most monuments are 80-90% complete, officials aware of the matter said.

Parliament House replica. (HT)

On the lines of the “Mini Europe” in Brussels of Belgium, the 220-acre entertainment destination is envisioned as a national, cultural and recreational landmark, and is planned to be opened to the public later this year.

“The work is nearing completion and this zone is expected to be ready in the next couple of months. Most of the monuments have started taking shape and can be identified now. Civil work is done mostly, while electrical and horticulture work is in progress,” an official said.

The Bharat Vandana Park is being developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which has contracted the construction work to NBCC Limited. Spread across nearly 101,580 square metres, the themed zone “mini India” is being shaped as a map of India and will feature scaled-down replicas of monuments and cultural landmarks from every state and Union territory.

Major attractions

The “Mini India” zone has been divided into multiple clusters, each grouping monuments from neighbouring states and integrating them with food kiosks serving regional cuisine, souvenir shops and landscaped plazas inspired by local traditions. Pedestrian walkways and a meandering water channel have also been planned with provisions for boat rides.

The park will showcase iconic monuments, ranging from Ladakh’s Leh Palace and Himachal Pradesh’s Viceregal Lodge to Odisha’s Sun Temple in Konark, Tamil Nadu’s Meenakshi Temple, and Gujarat’s Statue of Unity.

This zone comprises seven clusters, numbered from A to G. Cluster A features monuments from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, and Uttarakhand. Cluster B has monuments from Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh. Cluster C includes Gujarat, Rajasthan, Lakshadweep and Daman & Diu; Cluster D has Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Sikkim; Cluster E has Telangana, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa; Cluster F has Karnataka, Pudducherry, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar and Cluster G has Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

The northern cluster features Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar houseboats, Uttarakhand’s Kedarnath Temple and Himachal’s Viceregal Lodge. In the central cluster, monuments include Delhi’s Parliament, Punjab’s Virasat-e-Khalsa, Haryana’s Brahma Sarovar and Sarveshwar Mahadev Temple, Madhya Pradesh’s Kandariya Mahadev Temple at Khajuraho, Chandigarh’s Open Hand Monument and Uttar Pradesh’s Vishwanath Temple, along the Banaras Ghat.

The western cluster will feature Rajasthan’s Hawa Mahal, Gujarat’s Statue of Unity, and the twin forts of Daman and Diu, along with Lakshadweep’s lighthouse. Monuments from eastern India include Bihar’s Golghar, Jharkhand’s Baidyanath Temple, Chhattisgarh’s Bhoramdev Temple, and West Bengal’s Victoria Memorial. Sikkim’s Buddha Park also features in this group.

From the south, replicas include the Charminar of Telangana, Ellora Caves of Maharashtra, Leepakshi Nandi of Andhra Pradesh, Meenakshi Temple of Tamil Nadu, Stone Chariot at Hampi in Karnataka, and Kerala’s Napier Museum. The Cellular Jail of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry’s Aayee Mandapam are also part of the display.

The north-eastern cluster brings together Assam’s Kamakhya Temple, Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridge, Manipur’s Kangla Fort, Tripura’s Ujjyanta Palace, Mizoram’s engravings at Vangchhia, Nagaland’s traditional gate, and Arunachal Pradesh’s Gorsam Chorten.

Key features

NBCC has now floated a tender for the final remaining work of completing construction of monuments, nine plazas, food kiosks, souvenir shops, two pedestrian bridges, boating tracks, irrigation systems and horticulture, along with testing and commissioning of four sewage treatment plants with a combined capacity of over 2 MLD (million litres a day) and a 270 KLD (kilolitres a day) water treatment plant.

“Lighting has been designed as a key feature, with NBCC mandating use of energy-efficient LED fixtures, centrally controlled lighting systems and emergency power backups to ensure visitor safety. Contractors have been asked to create mock-ups of façade materials such as sandstone, marble and artificial substitutes for precious stones, to replicate monuments faithfully while withstanding Delhi’s environmental conditions,” the official cited above said.

NBCC has also floated a tender for barricading work, supply of electric carts and boats, and wall art and graffiti work for the park. The work, costing around ₹1.15 crore is set to be completed within 30 days and will facilitate the final phase of visitor mobility and aesthetic finishing.

The Bharat Vandana Park is planned as a large-scale cultural and recreational hub in Dwarka, integrating ecological zones, open-air theatres, food courts, craft bazaars, parking areas and extensive landscaping. “Mini India” will form a central attraction within the park, intended as a representation of India’s diversity through architecture, history and culture. Pedestrian pathways and plazas are being laid out to allow visitors to explore the monuments cluster by cluster, mirroring a journey across the Indian subcontinent.

Officials confirmed that “Mini India” is in the final stages of execution, with balance work on select monuments, landscaping, irrigation, and lighting nearing completion. Once ready, the section is expected to draw significant footfall, adding to Dwarka’s growing profile as a major cultural and recreational destination in Delhi, the official said.