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Young World
Remembering the Mahatma
V.R. DEVIKA
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The Madurai Gandhi Museum was the first Gandhi Memorial Museum set up in India.
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Photo: S. James
Chilling exhibit: Preserved for posterity.
Mahatma Gandhi is a subject forever fascinating. More and more books and films on some aspect of his life keep getting added to the vast amount of information available on the Mahatma. . One chilling exhibit of Gandhi memorablia I recently saw is in the museum in Madurai. It is the cloth worn by Gandhiji at the time of his assassination. The blood stained cloth is kept in a vacuumed glass case in a small room of the relics and replica
s hall. The room is darkened and a soft light focuses on the cloth. The blood stains are still visible. Visitors stand in awe and devotion. There are many articles that were used by Gandhiji displayed in the museum. There is also a photographic life history of Gandhiji and a vast library.
The museum
The Madurai Gandhi Museum is in the historic Tamukkam Palace built by Rani Mangammal of the Nayak dynasty in about 1670 A.D. Later, this was under the occupation of the Nawab of Carnatic, The East India Company and a few others. The palace was the official residence of the British District, Collector of Madurai. The Dome on the third floor is an architectural marvel. In 1955 the palace with about 13 acres of land was gifted by the Tamil Nadu State Government to the All India Gandhi Smarak Nidhi to house the Gandhi Memorial. This was the first Gandhi Memorial Museum in India.
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