Overview
- Features: Memorial and last resting place of Gandhi’s ashes
- Opening Times: 7am to 7pm, daily
- Best Time to Visit: 2nd October (Gandhi’s birthday)
- Duration: 20 to 30 mins
- Travelled By: Foot
- Cost: Free
- Address: Beach Road, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India
- Type: Memorial
Author Reviews[display_rating_item_results rating_form_id=”2″ rating_entry_ids=”1″ show_category_filter=”false” show_options=”true” result_type=”star_rating” preserve_max_rating=”true” show_title=”false” show_count=”false” ]
Total Rating: [display_rating_result rating_form_id=”2″ show_count=”false” show_rich_snippets=true] [accordions load=”1″] [accordion title=”User Reviews” last] [display_rating_item_results rating_form_id=”5″ show_options=”true” result_type=”star_rating” preserve_max_rating=”true” show_title=”false” show_count=”true” show_rich_snippets=true] [/accordion] [accordion title=”Add Review”][display_rating_form show_email_input=”true” show_comment_textarea=”true” show_name_input=”true” rating_form_id=”5″] [/accordion] [/accordions]
Summary
Gandhi Memorial was erected to honour the world famous Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and was built at the exact place where his ashes were kept for public homage before immersion in the sea on February 12, 1948.
Gandhi Memorial Kanyakumari
Gandhi Memorial was erected to honour the world famous Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and was built at the exact place where his ashes were kept for public homage before immersion in the sea on February 12, 1948.
Poignantly and appropriately placed at the end of the nation Gandhi fathered is this memorial, which purposely resembles an Orissan temple embellished by Hindu, Christian and Muslim architects. The central plinth was used to store some of the Mahatma’s ashes, and each year, on Gandhi’s birthday (2 October), the sun’s rays, through a hole in the roof, fall on the spot where his ashes were placed. The beautiful Gandhi Memorial was completed in 1956. Its central shape is 79 feet high representing the age of the Mahatma.
At the top of the building is an image of a chakra (spinning wheel) which was made famous by Gandhi. He hoped the charkha would assist the people of India to achieve self-sufficiency and independence, and therefore used the charkha as a symbol of the Indian independence movement.
[singlepic id=883 w=720 h=560 float=center]
Inside the memorial, beautiful photos of Gandhi and his life adorn the walls.
Gandhi visited Kanyakumari in 1925 and 1937. Upon seeing the beauty of this place he wrote during his visit in 1937:
I am writing this at the Cape, in front of the sea, where three waters meet and furnish a sight unequalled in the world. For this is no port of call for vessels. Like the goddess, the waters around are virgin.
When you visit the memorial, a guide will request everyone to sit in the middle of the room so he can explain the history of this memorial. Try and keep an air of silence inside this memorial (even if the locals don’t).
Getting to & from Gandhi Memorial
Located on the seashore next to Kumari Amman Temple in Kanyakumari, the Gandhi Memorial is easily reached on foot.
