Kirti Mandir is a small museum at the birthplace of

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ru ...

in the city of

Porbandar Porbandar is a city and the headquarters of Porbandar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It was the former capital of the Porbandar State, Porbandar princely state. Porbandar and Chhaya, ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, India, memorializing him and his wife,

Kasturba Gandhi Kasturba Mohandas Gandhi (, born Kasturba Gokuldas Kapadia; 11 April 1869 – 22 February 1944) was an Indian political activist who was involved in the Indian independence movement during British Raj, British India. She was married to Mohandas ...

. The museum displays items used by Gandhi, life size paintings of Kasturba and Gandhiji by Shri Yutt along with some old photographs, and houses a library of books either written by Gandhi or relating to his philosophies. Visitors can also enter Gandhi's ancestral home through the museum. It has been visited by world leaders.

Background

The ancestral house of the Gandhi family, where Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 is just adjacent to the Kirti Mandir. When Gandhi was released for the last time in the year 1944 from the Aga Khan Palace by the British Government, the residential public of Porbandar had decided to construct a memorial on his birth place, which was purchased from the members of the Gandhi family who were living in it. Gandhi had given his written consent in writing, signing the registration papers which are now displayed in Kirti Mandir Complex. The ancestral house now forms a part of the Kirti Mandir complex.

History

The original three-storied house is built like a Haveli, purchased by Gandhi's great grandfather Harjivan Raidas Gandhi in the seventeenth century. The upper stories were added over the years. Gandhi's father Karamchand, uncle, Tulsidas and grandfather Uttamchand lived, who had all been Prime Ministers (

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the el ...

) to the Jethwa

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

rulers of the princely state of Porbandar, lived there. The foundation stone was Kirti Mandir was laid in 1947 during Gandhi's lifetime by Darbar Gopaldas Desai. The money to purchase the house and build the museum was donated by Nanjibahi Kalidas Mehta.Kirthi Mandir, the birth-place of the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, is the main centre of attraction for the tourists. It was built by Shri Nanji Kalidas and Shri Purushottam Mistry.
/ref> The memorial was completed in 1950, by which time Gandhi was dead. Home Minister,

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ''Vallabhbhāī Jhāverbhāī Paṭel''; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was an Indian independence activist and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime ...

inaugurated it on 27 May 1950 and it was given to the Indian government. It is 79 feet tall, representing the 79 years of Gandhi's life, and includes architectural elements of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, and

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

temples, as well as of churches and mosques. The architect was Prushottambhai Mistry, a resident of Porbandar.

Memorial

There are life-size oil paintings of Mahatma and Kasturba Gandhi side by side in the centre of Kirti Mandir. Because Gandhi did not want to be deified, floral garlands are not used. The words, ‘The Truth’ and ‘Non-violence’, symbolizing his life and preachings, are placed near their feet. On the right side there are two rooms as the memorials of

Maganlal Gandhi Maganlal Khushalchand Gandhi (1883–1928) was a follower of Mohandas Gandhi. He was a first cousin, twice removed, of Mahatma Gandhi. Maganlal Gandhi is cited in many works of Mahatma Gandhi. It is he who suggested that the word ( Sadagra ...

and Mahadev Desai, and the room on the left-hand side is meant for the exhibition of the museum. These three rooms contain articles of khadibhandar, things of handicraft, the centre is for the sale of books, the office-room, and the reception hall. Kasturba-Mahila Library is situated in the Kirti Mandir. The Kirti Mandir is the main tourist attraction of the town. Foreign dignitaries and Indian politicians visit Kirti Mandir. The place where Gandhi was born is marked with a

swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍, ) is a symbol used in various Eurasian religions and cultures, as well as a few Indigenous peoples of Africa, African and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American cultures. In the Western world, it is widely rec ...

for identification.

Gallery

Image:Birth Place of Gandhi.jpg, Gandhii's house December 2012 Image:Kirti Mandir Gallery.jpg Image:Study room of Gandhi.jpg, Study room of Gandhi File:The main memorial near the house.jpg

References

{{Mohandas K. Gandhi Memorials to Mahatma Gandhi Porbandar Museums in Gujarat Gandhi museums Gujarat in Indian independence movement Monuments of National Importance in Gujarat