Gandhi Bhavan houses a museum with letters written by Gandhi, a gallery with rare photographs, a library, and an auditorium. (Wikimedia Commons)
As India celebrates Gandhi Jayanti on Wednesday to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, we bring you a few places in Bengaluru that are associated with Bapu.
Mahatma Gandhi visited Bengaluru five times during the freedom struggle — in 1915, 1920, 1927, 1934 and 1936.
Anand Rao Circle
Mahatma Gandhi made his first visit to Bangalore in May 1915, as part of his Bharata Yatra, on the request of Kannada writer and philosopher DV Gundappa. On the morning of May 8, Gandhi and Kasturba visited the city along with G A Natesan, a journalist and publisher from Madras.
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His stay had been arranged at Anand Rao Circle, and a chariot was in place to ferry him there in a procession. However, Gandhi refused to sit on the chariot, instead walking all the way.
According to the book ‘Gandhi in Bangalore’, published by Karnataka Gandhi Smaraka Nidhi, Gandhi refused to get on the chariot when he saw a group of young men come forward to pull it.
During his stay, Gandhi conducted a morning meeting at the campus of Government High School, which is now the Government Arts and Science College building near Central College.
Eidgah Khuddus Saheb
During the Non-Cooperation Movement, Gandhi addressed a gathering at Eidgah Khuddus Saheb on Millers Road, in what is today Shivaji Nagar, on August 21, 1920. Though he was in the city for only half a day, more than 40,000 people turned up for his rally.
Gandhi Bhavan, Kumara Park East
The Kumara Park guest house is where Mahatma Gandhi chose to stay for about three months in 1927 during his visit to Bangalore. Gandhi used to lead prayer meetings at the guest house every evening, which witnessed a large attendance of people from different parts of the city. The place where he used to sit for the public gatherings is now preserved and a plaque has been erected to indicate the historical importance of the area.
The guesthouse was adjacent to the office of William Smith from the Imperial Dairy Farm. The Mahatma used to meet Smith regularly to discuss the improvement of cattle farming across the country.
Yeshwanthpur Railway Station
Yeshwanthpur (now Yesvantpur Junction) railway station is where Gandhi arrived in Bangalore for his longest visit to the city. Historians say when Gandhi stepped out of the train on April 20, 1927, it was time for his prayers, and so he held community prayers with a huge crowd of supporters on the platform itself.
Ailing Gandhi came to recover at Nandi Hills
Mahatma Gandhi stayed at Nandi Hills for 45 days in 1936, when he was suffering from blood pressure issues. Just 60 km from Bengaluru, Nandi Hills, with its serene environment and bracing air, had been used as a summer retreat by Tipu Sultan as well as the British.
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During his stay, Gandhiji regularly visited Madaku Hosahalli village at the foothills and conducted bhajan programmes. To commemorate his visit, the village was renamed Gandhipura several decades ago.
The Department of Tourism is today managing the place where Gandhi stayed. It has been renamed Gandhi Nilaya, and has a garden and a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
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