The Gandhi Museum is located in the historic 17 century Tamukkam palace which served as the summer palace of the Nayak dynasty along with a campus of 13 acres. Later it became the Camp Office of the British Judges and the British Collectors.
The central portion built during 1670 has the Nayak Architecture; the southern portion built during 1877 by the Britishers has the Victorian-English architecture and the northern portion built during 1956-59 has the modern Tamil architecture.
The first floor, housing the gallery has different sections. The first section is called “India fights for Freedom” which has 265 photos with descriptions in Tamil and English and portrays the history of our freedom struggle over the period of last 200 years . All the 30 panels were unique.
Relics and replicas
A small collection of handicrafts collected from the four southern states (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala) are displayed.
The third section, “Visual Biography ” with illustrations in English, Tamil and Hindi gives detailed biographical sketch of the Father of the Nation starting from his Birth in Porbandar to his assassination in the Birla House in about 150 photographs and illustration.
The fourth section is the important “Relics and Replicas” which preserves 14 Relics and 32 replicas of Mahatma Gandhi.
The most important relic is the blood stained dhoti along with a pair of wooden chappals , leather chappals , spectacles, silken shawl used while attending the Second Round Table Conference in London, wooden spoon, shawl, and other artefacts.
The replicas give an idea about the simple life style of Gandhi (simple living and high thinking). The eco-friendly Mahatma had used a wooden spoon (renewable resource).
He had also used lime stone to wash his body instead of soap; and hand spun clothes.
Letter box
There are many letters and documents and books. A letter to Adolf Hitler (asking him to stop his brutalities); a diplomatic letter to the American President Franklin Roosevelt; the Tamil rendering on revolutionary poet Subramania Bharathi, his signature in Tamil. Few mural paintings can be seen on the walls.
The Museum campus also has Bapu Kutir which is an exact replica of Gandhiji's Sevagram hut where he lived from 1936 to 1946 in Wardha which was designed by his Irish disciple, Mira Behn.
The Sacred Ash Memorial or the Peace Park which is recently renovated contains a small portion of Gandhiji's sacred ash.
The Library has a collection of 30,000 books and micro films. Research and Educational activities programmes propagate his ideals by publications, conducting seminars, and trainings.
The Institute of Gandhian Studies and Research (IGSR), an approved educational institution of Madurai Kamaraj University which conducts courses on Gandhian Thought, Inter-faith Relations, Value Education and Yoga is located within the campus. The Museum also houses a Guest House, Open Air Theatre, Yoga Centre and Kumarappa Kutil.
Symbolic stand
Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai is one of its kind in South India. This historical monument was set up after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Senior leaders, under the chairmanship of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, gathered and discussed the possibility of establishing a fitting memorial for the Father of the Nation.The team included Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Dr. J.C. Kumarappa and other luminaries. The team decided to establish Gandhi Museums -North-New Delhi; East-Calcutta and Patna; West-Bombay and Ahmedabad), one for the southern region could not be immediately decided. But the choice of Madurai became unanimous because Madurai was not only an ancient historic city and the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu but also it is closely associated with Gandhiji and the freedom movement.
During his life-time Gandhi visited Madurai five times: in 1919, 1921, 1927, 1934 and in 1946. The second visit made during 1921 for three days from September 20, 21 and 22 was significant. It was here in Madurai on the mid-night of September 22, 1921; that Gandhiji removed his Gujarati attire and took a Tamilian's dhoti measuring four lengths (four mulam) and cut that piece into two and began wearing it. This took place at 251-A, West Masi Street, Madurai.
