Tamil Nadu CM Vijay declares open renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday declared open the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai. Mr. Vijay garlanded the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the museum premises and inspected the renovated structure.

In the visitor’s book, he said he was happy to have visited the holy place. The renovation work was carried out at a cost of ₹10.25 crore by the Heritage Wing of the Public Works Department.

The building, originally Rani Mangammal’s summer palace, was built in the 17th century. It transitioned to serve as the Collector’s Bungalow and the Judges’ Residence during the British period. After Independence, in 1955, the palace was gifted by the Tamil Nadu government to the All India Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay at the inauguration of the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai on Monday.
| Photo Credit:
R. Ashok

It was converted into a museum honouring Mahatma Gandhi, which was inaugurated in 1959 by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The museum houses Mahatma Gandhi’s 14 belongings, including blood-stained cloth he wore when he was assassinated.

The latest renovation work began in October 2022, and a total of ₹6 crore was allocated for the same. Following a request from the Gandhi museum authorities, another ₹4 crore was allocated for additional infrastructure.

The renovation was carried out without altering the museum’s heritage structure. Traditional materials were used to preserve the original heritage structure. For the convenience of the visitors, an elevator has been installed and electrical works have been carried out to enhance the building’s aesthetic appeal.

The new features at the museum include interactive digitised and touchscreen displays providing information about Mahatma Gandhi, an audio-visual hall where a 15-minute documentary on Mahatma Gandhi’s life history and connection with Madurai will be played. A room for puppet shows is an added attraction.

Quotes by Mahatma Gandhi have been displayed at the entrance of each hall inside the museum. In addition to this, new bookshelves and reading tables have been added in the library building on the museum premises.

Ministers N. Anand, K.G. Arunraj, C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar, P. Viswanathan; MPs Su. Venkatesan and Manickam Tagore; MLAs; Chief Secretary M. Saikumar; Director of Museums D. Baskara Pandian; Madurai Collector Nishant Krishna; President of Gandhi Memorial Museum M. Manickam; Secretary K.R. Nanda Rao; Treasurer M. Senthil Kumar; and others were present.

A large number of people from far and near and tourists visited the museum after it was declared open for the public. They were enamoured by the galleries and exhibits at the museum.