Recently I had been to Ahmedabad and well, visit to Ahmedabad is incomplete without a mention of Sabarmati Ashram or Gandhi Ashram. I am not going to write anything about Mahatma Gandhi here- His greatness was in his simplicity and so is his ashram. Located on the banks of Sabarmati river- Sabarmati Ashram is one of Gandhi's residences and he lived here for around twelve years. A beautiful and peaceful place in busy Ahmedabad.
His house Hridaykunj in the ashram complex touches anybody's heart. A simple house with ample light and air facing the Sabrmati river. Per Indian mythology, it seems the place was the site of ancient Dhadhichi ashram. Dhadhichi Rishi was a sage who sacrificed his life so that his bones could be used in making a weapon to kill a demon (info from Wiki).
He lived on this open land because he wanted to do farming, cattle breeding, khadi etc enough for living- essentially self sufficiency. Gandhiji started his Dandi March (241-miles walk) from this place in protest of British Salt Law and this march had a remarkable influence on the movement of Indian Independence. It is the home of the ideology "Swaraj" which set India free. During this march the government seized this property and Gandhiji said he would return to the place only after India was free.
The Ashram is not functioning anymore but now houses a museum where picture galleries and artifacts of Gandhi are displayed. The pictures include major events from Gandhi's life and also Indian Independence movement. The ashram book store has a great collection of books written by Gandhi, about Gandhi, India's Independence movement and related topics. Also available are souvenirs.
Sunset over Sabarmati river- A view from Gandhi Ashram |
There wasn't much water flowing in the river Sabarmati. But, it is a peaceful experience to stand in the ashram premises and watch the river, bridge and the horizon. A respite from the heat of Ahmedabad! It was sunset time before I left and this is what I saw.
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed- Mahatma Gandhi
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This post is linked to Our World Tuesday.
If you want pictures please ask me :)
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Scrapbook- A Travel Blog by Kusum Sanu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Sabarmati ashram is a place for finding solitude!
ReplyDeleteThere were many visitors yet it was peaceful!
Deletevery interesting.
ReplyDeleteAnd very special for Indians!
DeleteI was there some years back, it was a dream come true for me. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to see the pics of the ashram again.
Feels great to be standing on the place where Gandhi walked!
DeleteGreat info and photos...
ReplyDeletethanks
What a pretty place, I love the statue and the beautiful sunset of the river.. Thanks for sharing the information, great post.
ReplyDeleteTo stand in a similar place to where Ghandi stood and possibly look at the surroundings as he must have done must be an awe inspiring moment.
ReplyDeleteVery true!
DeleteWonderful post and photos about a very special person ~ thanks, namaste, xxx
ReplyDeleteartmusedog and carol
What a gorgeous place. Ghandi was such an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYes, he was and he still is!
DeleteSeems like a wonderful place.
ReplyDeleteYes it is Niranjan!
DeleteNice post. Sabarmati ashram is a quiet charming peaceful place to silently meditate and introspect !
ReplyDeleteThanks Mr Ramakrishnan! Yes, it is a special place!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous shots of such an interesting place!
ReplyDelete