Banka is a small village, administered as part of
Jang Bahadur Ganj village in
Lakhimpur Kheri District
Lakhimpur Kheri district is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, India, on the border with Nepal. Its administrative capital is the city of Lakhimpur.
Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part of Lucknow division, with a total area of . The nation ...
,
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is noted for its temple to the
Goddess of English.
English temple
The English temple was built near the Nalanda Public Shiksha Niketan School from April 2010 onwards in black granite and inaugurated on 25 October in honour of the anniversary of
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay
Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1st Baron Macaulay, (; 25 October 1800 – 28 December 1859) was a British historian and Whig politician, who served as the Secretary at War between 1839 and 1841, and as the Paymaster-General between 1846 and 1 ...
's birthday.
It contains a
Statue of Liberty-inspired statue of the goddess wearing hat and gown, clutching a pen and a guide to the Indian Constitution. A computer screen by its side features the Buddhist
Dharma chakra.
The walls are adorned with numerous symbols related to the maths and sciences.
The purpose of the temple is to promote the English language among the Dalit peoples, which local governors believe crucial to the future success of the area and improving education.
References
{{Lakhimpur Kheri district
Villages in Lakhimpur Kheri district