Raj Ghat and associated memorials

Raj Ghat, Delhi
An Inscription at Raj Ghat

Raj Ghat is a memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. Originally it was the name of a historic ghat of Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) on the banks of Yamuna river. Close to it, and east of Daryaganj was Raj Ghat Gate of the walled city, opening at Raj Ghat on Yamuna River.[1][2] Later the memorial area was also called Raj ghat. It is a black marble platform that marks the spot of Mahatma Gandhi's cremation, Antyesti (Antim Sanskar) on 31 January 1948, a day after his assassination. It is left open to the sky while an eternal flame burns perpetually at one end. It is located on the banks of the river Yamuna in Delhi in India on Ring Road officially known as Mahatma Gandhi Road. A stone footpath flanked by lawns leads to the walled enclosure that houses the memorial. All guests must remove their footwear before entering the Raj Ghat walls.

Other memorials in the Raj Ghat area

Raj Ghat loosely translates to King's Bank (where King alludes to the importance of the place and Bank as in -on the bank of river Yamuna). Several other samādhis or cremation spots of other famous leaders can be found in the vicinity of Raj Ghat on the banks of the Yamuna. The landscaping and planting of these memorials was performed by Alick Percy-Lancaster, the last Englishman to hold the post of Superintendent of Horticultural Operations, Government of India.

Jawaharlal Nehru's samadhi is to the north of the Raj Ghat and is known as the Shantivan or Shanti Vana meaning the "forest of peace". Adjacent to Nehru's memorial is Ekta sthal, the site where K. R. Narayanan, tenth President of India, was cremated with full state honours in 2005.

The Raj Ghat area has a park adorned with trees planted by visiting dignitaries and heads of state.

List of memorials in the Raj Ghat area
Name Title Year of death Memorial name Meaning Area
(acres)[3]		 Feature
Mahatma Gandhi 1948 Raj Ghat Royal Steps 44.35 Blue marble platform
Jawaharlal Nehru Prime Minister of India 1964 Shantivan Garden of Peace 52.6 A large plinth covered with a lawn
Lal Bahadur Shastri Prime Minister of India 1966 Vijay Ghat Victory Platform 40 The victory alluded to in the name of the memorial is India's performance under his leadership in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.
Indira Gandhi Prime Minister of India 1984 Shakti Sthal Place of Power 45 A huge greyish-red monolithic stone
Jagjivan Ram Deputy Prime Minister of India 1986 Samta Sthal Place of Equality 12.5 —
Choudhary Charan Singh Prime Minister of India 1987 Kisan Ghat Farmer’s Platform 19 —
Rajiv Gandhi Prime Minister of India 1991 Veer Bhumi Land of Brave 15 A large lotus in full bloom carved out of stone surrounded by 46 small lotuses to signify the years he lived; rocks from all the states of India are spread around.[4]
Giani Zail Singh President of India 1994 Ekta Sthal Place of Unity 22.56 —
Shankar Dayal Sharma[5] President of India 1999 Karma Bhumi Land of Duty Located near Vijay Ghat.
Devi Lal Deputy Prime Minister of India 2001 Sangharsh Sthal Place of Struggle Located near Kisan Ghat.
P. V. Narasimha Rao Prime Minister of India 2004 P.V. Ghat
Chandra Shekhar Prime Minister of India 2007 Jannayak Sthal[6] Place of People's leader —
I. K. Gujral Prime Minister of India 2012 Smiriti Sthal Place of Remembrance —
Pictures of memorials near Raj Ghat
Shakti Sthal, Memorial to Indira Gandhi at her cremation spot 
Sanjay Gandhi Memorial, Delhi 
Memorial of Rajiv Gandhi near Raj Ghat in New Delhi 

References

  1. ↑ Fanshawe, p. 67
  2. ↑ 1863 Atlas Map of Delhi
  3. ↑ "No space for 'samadhis', VVIPs to share memorial place in Delhi". Rediff.com. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  4. ↑ "'Rajiv' to bloom at Veer Bhumi". The Tribune Trust. 18 August 2004. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  5. ↑ "Tearful farewell to S.D. Sharma". The Tribune. The Tribune Trust. 28 December 1999. Retrieved 21 December 2008.
  6. ↑ "Former PM Chandrashekhar’s samadhi to be called Jannayak Sthal". The Times of India. 23 April 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.

Coordinates: 28°38′26″N 77°14′58″E / 28.640550°N 77.249433°E / 28.640550; 77.249433

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