November 16th, 2007 
Deepak RAJ GHAT A simple black marble platform, a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, it marks the spot of his cremation. Located on the west banks of river Yamuna, this is the place where the father of nation was cremated on 31 January 1948. A stone footpath flanked by lawns leads to the walled enclosure that houses the memorial. Two museums dedicated to Gandhi are located near by. The memorial has the epitaph Hē Ram, (literally ‘O’ Ram’, but also translated to ‘O God’), believed to be the last words uttered by Gandhi. The shrine itself is very simple: a raised square platform made of black marble and covered in flowers, with a perpetual flame burning at one end of it. When I was there, one day after Independence Day (15 August) the number of flowers formed a carpet over the shrine. Entrance to the memorial is free, but you must take off your shoes to go near the shrine. At the entrance there are guarded shelves where you can leave your shoes. Gandhiji was in harmony with the elements of nature. The structure of the Samadhi reflects his ceramic simplicity. The brick platform on which his body had been burned, a black marble platform of the same size – some twelve feet by twelve feet square, and two feet deep, surrounded by a while marble fence – was erected and the shores were landscaped. In keeping with the austere simplicity in life of Mahatma Gandhi, an unostentatious memorial marks the spot. No building covers the Samadhi except a low wall, which forms a compound around it. A commemorative ceremony takes place every Friday. Prayers are held in remembrance of Mahatma on the Birth (2nd October) and Death (30th January) Anniversaries. 30th January is remembered as Martyr’s Day. Two museums dedicated to Gandhi are situated nearby. The Gandhi Memorial Museum is just across the road. It houses many belongings of Gandhi and photographs from his life. Gandhi Smriti Museum is housed in the Birla House at Tees January Marg, where Mahatma spent his last days and was shot down by Godse. The beautiful Zinat-ul Masjid or the Most Beautiful of Mosques towers over Raj Ghat. It is rarely visited by the tourists. Nathu Ram Godse Apart from ordinary people and tourists, it has become an essential point of call for all visiting dignitaries to pay their homage to the Father of the [...]
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