Bharati Station, Research station in Larsemann Hills, Antarctica
Bharati Station is an Indian research facility in the Larsemann Hills area of East Antarctica, where it sits surrounded by glaciers and the Indian Ocean shoreline. The compound consists of several interconnected modules including living quarters, laboratories, a power plant, and external facilities for fuel storage.
India opened this base in March 2012 as its third permanent Antarctic research station following Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri. Construction began in 2007 and took five summers, with all materials shipped across vast distances.
The facility takes its name from Indian independence activist Subramania Bharati and hosts rotating teams of scientists who commute between continents. Its crew lives here in a close communal rhythm shaped by the extreme Antarctic conditions.
The station accommodates up to 47 people at once, with crews rotating depending on the research season and additional scientists arriving during the brief Antarctic summer. Visits are only possible for accredited researchers or expedition groups with Antarctic clearance, as regular tourists cannot access the site.
The entire compound was assembled from 134 prefabricated shipping containers, which significantly shortened construction time in extreme cold. This modular design also allows individual sections to be replaced or expanded when needed without affecting the whole building.
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