Gandhi Maidan

Gandhi Maidan
Gandhi Maidan
Location	25°36′28.77″N 85°10′03.06″E / 25.6079917°N 85.1675167°E / 25.6079917; 85.1675167
Operated by	Patna Municipal Corporation
Open	All year

Gandhi Maidan, previously known as the Patna Lawns, is a historic ground at Patna near the banks of Ganges River, in Bihar, India. The Golghar falls to its west.

History

Several movements were launched on the Patna Lawns during the Indian freedom struggle, the most important being the Champaran movement and the Quit India movement of 1942. Many prominent leaders of the Indian Independence Movement, such as Mohandas K. Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad,^[1]Anugrah Narayan Sinha, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Jaya Prakash Narayan and Sri Krishna Sinha addressed their rallies from here. It was said that a leader had not arrived until he had addressed a rally at the Patna Lawns.

The successful opposition movement to Indira Gandhi was also launched from this historic ground.

This ground was considered as hotspot for freedom movement rallies and major activists from the Indian freedom struggle namely Mohandas K. Gandhi, Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi have made memorable speeches here. Presently, this ground is being utilised for several commercial purposes like private parties, mass prayers and trade fairs

In the north western corner of the ground lies the Gandhi Sangrahalaya, which showcases various pictures and records of Mahatma Gandhi's presence and connections with Bihar. During the year 1947, it used to be the house of the Education Minister, Dr. Syed Mahmud. These grounds are situated near Ashok Rajpath in Moradpur and are 2.5 km from central Patna.^[2]

The flag-raising ceremony on the Indian Independence Day and Republic Day is held here by the Chief Minister and Governor of Bihar respectively. Nowadays, these grounds are seeing some commercial use with the District Administration leasing it out for conducting events like mass prayers, trade fairs and other similar development activities.

Christening of Patna Lawn to Gandhi Maidan: It was during the Bihar visit of Mahatma gandhi at the time of Champaran satyagraha, Bapu addressed a huge meeting at Patna Lawns and in that meeting for the first time Indians in general were allowed to visit Patna Lawn without any restrictions, prior to this meeting entry to Patna Lawns was restricted to Europeans and Elite (Loyalist Indians). Since then this lawn has been rechristened as Gandhi Maidan.

World’s tallest statue of Mahatma Gandhi

Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, the ground's namesake

The world's tallest Gandhi statue was unveiled at the historic Gandhi Maidan. The 70-feet tall bronze statue was inaugurated by the CM Nitish Kumar on February 15, 2013.

• The statue of Gandhi is 40 feet high but with the pedestal reaching 24 feet and another eight feet for the stairs, the total height of the structure is 72 feet making it the tallest Gandhi statue in the world.
• ‘Bapu’ is seen standing affectionately with two children on either side in the bronze statue constructed at the historic Gandhi Maidan.
• Funded by the state government, the 10 crore statue, inclusive of a 32-feet-high pedestal, has been built by Delhi-based sculptor Ramsutar and Sons.
• The pedestal includes inscriptions and images highlighting milestones in Gandhi's life including the Dandi March in 1930, Quit India Movement in 1942, Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, and an image of Charkha symbolizing the call for self-rule by the Father of the Nation.
• With this, the Parliament statue in New Delhi where the ‘Father of the Nation’ is in a meditating pose, becomes the second tallest Gandhi statue with a height of 16 feet.
• Some Gandhi quotes have also been written on the plaques to remind people about the message ‘Bapu’ gave during his lifetime. Sculptor Anil, who runs Ramsutar Arts Pvt Ltd, said the statue, showcasing Gandhi with a smiling look, will spread the message of world peace and motivate all to bridge the divide between the rich and poor.^[3][4]

Serial Bomb Blasts

On 27 October 2013, there were six serial bomb blasts at Gandhi Maidan just before the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi reached there to address a huge gathering. 5 People killed and 66 injured in this serial blasts.^[5]

References