Gandhi Ashram Museum

Inaugurated in 1963 and designed by famous architect Charles Correa, Gandhi Memorial Museum or Gandhi ashram Museum is a place reflecting the life of Mahatma Gandhi. It houses three galleries; Gandhi in Ahmedabad Gallery, Painting Gallery and My Life is My Message Gallery along with the Ashram’s Library.

About the Museum

Dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the Gandhi Ashram Museum and various other ashrams at the Sabarmati Ashram display the personal objects of Mahatma Gandhi that he used in his stay here and provide insight to visitors a foretaste of how he lived. The visitors get to see the pre-independent India and its journey through the eyes of Mahatma Gandhi. The museum also welcomes children as an informative space to teach them about Indian history and the struggle Mahatma Gandhi took for its freedom from the Britishers.

The modern museum which was constructed in 1963 by Charles Correa displays a collection of 34,177 handwritten letters by Mahatma Gandhi, 8718 pages of Gandhi’s manuscript, 6000 photographs, 334 films, 509 audio cassettes, 121 records, 63 videocassettes, and 155 awards. The first-ever ashram was the Satyagrah Ashram in Kochrab that was constructed by Mahatma Gandhi after his return from South Africa in 1915.

The museum is taken care of by Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust and aims to promote Gandhian thoughts and activities by maintaining contact with the youth and providing amenities for research purposes. There is a library containing 21,500 books depicting Gandhi’s life and a reading room with more than 50 periodicals in Hindi, English, and Gujarati. The walls of the museum house photographs reflecting historic events of his life along with a colored oil painting gallery of eight life-size paintings depicting major life events of Mahatma Gandhi. The museum also has a conference hall and an auditorium for watching films and videos. The ashram has a serene ambiance and is worth a visit for gaining insight on the life of Mahatma Gandhi and his struggle for freedom.