Sarv Dharm Sthal, Antarctica

It’s the only one of its kind in Antarctica. The concept is probably borrowed from the Indian Army, where such common places of worship are omnipresent. After all, for 26 years, the Army has been an integral part of the Indian Antarctic Expedition.
A small area in the loft of the Maiti station, just adjacent to the communication room has been allotted to the mandir, and the place is known as at Maitri. It is a thick carpeted cubicle, occupying both sides of the passage to the library. The low roof is very uncomfortable for the tall statured and one has to slouch or sit down while in the mandir. One side is like a proper hindu temple, complete with and enclosure for hindu deities, pooja samagri, bhajan books and kirtan musical instruments. Agarbattis and dhoopbatthis are not permitted due to the risk of fire. The musical instruments include harmonium, manjeera, tabla etc.

The other side has photographs, statues and books relevant to other faiths. We have Guru Granth Sahib, Kuraan, Geeta, Ramayan, Bible and books relevant to Buddhism and Jainism. These are available in various languages and have been housed in proper enclosures. For the interested, these provide a wealth of knowledge

The mandir is a nice place to spend some quiet time and to de-stress. A quiet one hour here gives a lot of mental peace and makes one forget the stress of wintering over in Antarctica. The mandir property also includes an invaluable collection of religious and spiritual books in various languages added by successive expeditions over the years.
Every Tuesday, at 7 PM, a pooja is held and everyone is free to join in. Fresh Prasad is prepared each time, and consists usually of suji halwa. Tuesday is also the only day when non veg dishes are not prepared at Maitri.

The mandir is the hot favourite spot among foreign visitors to Maitri. They find the concept very fascinating and take numerous photographs in various weird poses. One can find a few articles on the net, written by the visitors describing their trip to the mandir.