How many Gandhi Museum are there in India? Each year on the October 2nd of Gandhi Jayanti, we celebrate and recall the Father of our Nation. Across & outside India, amazing rare archives of Gandhi’s writings, his teachings and philosophies, and more have been restored in different Gandhi museums. Several Gandhi museums and memorials have been established to assist children in the post-Gandhian era learn about the Mahatma.

155th Birthday Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

1. Dandi Kutir, Gandhinagar

This salt-mound-shaped Gandhi museum is an appropriate memorial to Mahatma Gandhi. The Dandi Kutir, a 41-meter-high conical dome in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is an immersive museum depicting his life from birth until the freedom movement. The museum immerses visitors in Mahatma Gandhi’s hardships and sacrifices with cutting-edge technology such as 3D mapping, 360-degree projections, and interactive audio. Additionally, this circular building with a slanting roof that surrounds administrative offices and service spaces, providing a distinctive counterpart to the conical structure in the middle.

2. Gandhi Memorial Museum, Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad

Charles Correa built the Gandhi Museum (Memorial) in Ahmedabad, India, which stands as a landmark since 1963. The Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya project integrates Hindu architectural and cosmological concepts of isotropy with Modernist functional design. The modular pavilion unit focuses on a single component, with five programmed internal rooms organized in an asymmetrical grid design. The museum’s design is similar to rural dwellings in India’s Banni area.

3. Kirti Mandir & Museum, Porbandar

The Kirti Mandir, a historic building in Porbandar, Gujarat, recalls Gandhi ji and Kasturba Gandhi. This E-shaped Gandhi museum features terraces, Shikhar in a 33m height span, domes, and balconies. Visitors can tour a vast plaza with a graphical display depicting Gandhi’s life story and interiors in marble finish. At the far end of the courtyard, visitors can find the house where he was born and resided for some time. The edifice, which was originally three stories tall, has undergone several renovations since Mahatma Gandhi’s grandfather built it.

4. Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai

This Gandhi Museum offers valuable insights into his life and highlights the transition through different eras. Located in Sevagram, this museum features a beautiful building that once served as a palace. It showcases a model of Mahatma Gandhi’s original hut, along with exhibits on Khadi and Village Industries. The museum boasts a library with over 20,000 volumes, an open-air theater that accommodates 8,000 seats, and a newly constructed wing that enhances its offerings.

5. Gandhi National Memorial Society, Pune

The Aga Khan Palace, near Kalyani Nagar, has a long history. In 1969, Prince Karim El Husseini laid out the palace to the Government of India in remembrance of Mahatma Gandhi. Since 1980, the Gandhi Memorial Society has operated the palace, including the museum and exhibitions. Inside this Gandhi museum, visitors can view his things as well as a handloom textile business. To commemorate Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary, the museum was renovated and reopened to the public in 2019.

6. National Gandhi Museum and Library, New Delhi

The National Gandhi Museum takes visitors on a historical trip via Gandhi’s items, which include his ‘Talisman’, ‘India of My Dreams’, and hand telephones. The spinning wheel gallery features 23 models of spinning wheels, looms, and yarn. The photographic collection features Gandhiji’s writings and images of him and other liberation fighters. The memorial gallery displays Gandhi’s items, while the martyrdom gallery contains his blood-stained dhoti. The museum also includes a library, an audiovisual department, and a photography section where visitors may view Gandhi’s speeches and photos.

7. Gandhi Bhawan, Chandigarh

Located in the heart of Punjab University, Sector 14, architect Pierre Jeanneret designed it. This lotus-shaped Gandhi museum aims to study his life and activities. The structure contains Gandhi’s philosophy of simplicity and purity, as well as the full range of Jeanneret’s architectural brilliance. Furthermore, this Gandhi Bhawan stands as a benchmark for the technological, formal, and aesthetic attitude of Modern architecture in Chandigarh. A must-see for architectural fans, this structure is bordered by other great instances of modern architecture, such as the Art Gallery, Students’ Centre, and Administrative structure.

8. Gandhi Smriti & Darshan Samiti, New Delhi

Situated in Rajghat, New Delhi, is a vast museum that houses a library, booksellers, and original Gandhi photographs. It houses an exhibition about Gandhi Ji, his room, and a prayer field. This Gandhi museum, located near Gandhi Samadhi, features an extensive exhibition, a cinema auditorium, conference facilities, and a children’s section. Additionally, it includes AHIMSA mandapa, a fully air-conditioned Tagore hall, a semi-open satyagraha mandap, a 50-seat capacity Einstein hall, an international guest house, and Gandhi Haat.

9. Gyarah Murti, New Delhi

Devi Prasad Roy Chowdhury produced the ‘Gyarah Murti’ sculpture, which represents ten Indians following Gandhi during his Dandi March in 1931, and the people who overthrew colonialism. The sculpture features Gandhi’s iconic retinue, a woman with her head covered, and a cluster of three men, including a turbaned Sikh, a Hindu scholar, an emaciated Muslim peasant, a Hindu man, an impoverished peasant, a Christian priest, and others. Furthermore, it celebrates the spirit of collaboration and the diversity of individuals making their way forward together.

The sculptor’s eye for detail is evident, with taut sinews indicating a tense mood of anticipation and suppressed exhilaration. The figures are larger than life, capturing the spirit of collaboration and the unity of India’s people. The sculpture inspires awe despite the current political climate, symbolizing a moment of single nationhood before it became ideologically divided.

10. Gandhi Square, Johannesburg

The City of Johannesburg commissioned a bronze sculpture of Gandhi, which was unveiled in 2003. A bust and an exhibition memorialize his four prison sentences. The Carlton Centre, once Africa’s tallest building, features a 50th-floor viewing deck that provides breathtaking vistas.
This Central Business District is both a popular tourist destination and a thriving commercial hub. Flanked by high-rise corporate office buildings and offers easily accessible public transportation.

Additionally, the following are the other Mahatma Gandhi Memorials outside India.

• Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Centre, Matale, Central Province, Sri Lanka
• Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, Milwaukee, United States
• Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, Washington, D.C
• Pietermaritzburg Railway Station, South Africa

In conclusion, this curated list of various Gandhi museums and memorials embodies his profound impact. From storytelling, and design narratives to massive sculptures, each site ensures that future generations are passed on with his philosophy of non-violence and social justice. As we recall and remember Gandhiji’s legacy every October 2nd, these Gandhi museums offer vital resources and encourage visitors to embrace his principles.

Content Writing And Research By: Ar. Baarat Krishna