The Sabarmati Ashram (also the Gandhi Ashram , the Haridjan Ashram or the Satyagraha Ashram ) is the first ashram founded by Gandhi on the banks of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad , Gujarat . This ashram was the main residence of Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba Gandhi , where they lived for 12 years.
| Sabarmati Ashram | |
|---|---|
| Sabarmati ashram | |
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| Established | |
| opening date | |
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| Location | |
| Address | Ahmedabad , India |
| Visitors per year | 700,000 |
| Site | gandhiashramsabarmati.org |
This ashram was the starting point of the salt campaign , which began on March 12, 1930. In recognition of the influence exerted by the march on the Indian Independence Movement , the government granted the ashram the status of a national monument.
History
After his return from South Africa, Gandhi founded his first in Ahmedabad on June 25, 1915. But Gandhi wanted to engage in various activities, such as farming and cattle breeding, which required a large area, so on June 17, 1917 the ashram was transferred to a 36- acre site located on the banks of the Sabarmati River . The land itself was located between the prison and the crematorium, and according to Gandhi, this place was suitable for the followers of satyagraha.
This is a suitable place for our activity to continue the search for truth and develop fearlessness - on the one hand, iron bolts of foreigners, and on the other, lightning bolts of Mother Nature
- Mahatma Gandhi [1]
36 acres of land on which the ashram was located was a wasteland filled with snakes, but following the ideas of the satyagraha movement, Mahatma Gandhi forbade them to be killed. The ashram was created with two goals: to continue the search for truth and to create a non-violent group of workers who would help organize and maintain freedom in the country. The first inhabitants of the ashram were the Gandhi family and 25 of his followers, with whom he returned from South Africa.
In the ashram, Gandhi created a school to educate the population in agriculture, manual labor and literacy. Here, on March 12, 1930, a salt campaign began against the increase in the salt tax imposed by the British. Gandhi, with 78 like-minded people, walked from the ashram to the village of Dundee in Navsari County. Their path amounted to about 388 km. The increase in the salt tax has forced thousands of people in India to start illegally producing salt themselves and join the march. Gandhi himself evaporated sea water to obtain salt. As a result of this massive civil disobedience, the British authorities arrested about 60,000 people and captured the Gandhi Ashram. Despite Gandhi's requests to return the ashram to him, the authorities did not send him a meeting. On March 12, 1930, Gandhi promised that he would not return to the ashram until India became free. On July 22, 1933, Gandhi decided to disband the ashram, but the locals preserved it. Despite the fact that India became independent from Britain on August 15, 1947, Gandhi was unable to return to his first ashram, as he was killed on January 30, 1948 [2] .
Museum
At the moment, the ashram is a museum and has the status of a national monument. Jawaharlal Nehru held the grand opening of the museum on May 10, 1963 [3] . The museum is open daily from 8:00 to 19:00. Over 700,000 people visit the ashram annually. The museum hosts various thematic tours. The museum also collects, analyzes and preserves letters, texts and memoirs about Gandhi. Visitors can visit various institutes belonging to the museum, for example, a school, a hostel for girls from the untouchable caste, an institute that studies solar energy and bio-gas, and many other departments.
Notes
- ↑ Sabarmati Ashram on the Gandhi Research Foundation
- ↑ Gandhi, Mohandas. "Gandhi Ashram Official Website."
- ↑ Sabarmati Ashram , National Gandhi Museum
Links
- gandhiashramsabarmati.org - The official site of the Ashram