Gandhi Teerth
On the 25th of March 2012, Pratibha Patil, President of India, inaugurated Gandhi Teerth. The research institution and museum on Mahatma Gandhi stands in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India, some 60 kilometres from the Ajanta Caves.
The site's formal name is Gandhi Research Foundation, known as GRF, and it was founded by Bhavarlal Jain. The Gandhi Foundation set the project in motion and backed its early development.
A campus opened by a sitting head of state on a single day suggests more than one purpose. What could visitors find inside its walls, and what has that combination earned in outside recognition?
Jodhpur stone forms the walls of the complex, chosen as the building material for the whole campus. Inside its grounds sit an auditorium, an amphitheatre, meeting and class rooms, and guest houses for visiting scholars.
Historic documents on Gandhiji, treated for long-term preservation, fill the library and archives set aside for researchers. A shop on the same grounds sells Khadi clothing, handmade gift items, and Gandhian literature for visitors to take home.
Those guest houses keep the research side of the campus running well past a single day's tour.
Thirty interactive segments fill the museum building, each fitted with audiovisual systems, touch screens, and a bio-scope. A multilingual, air-conditioned tour carries visitors through these segments, tracing Gandhi's life and body of work.
A full visit runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes, led throughout by guides described as amiable.
That two-and-a-half-hour walk through recorded voices and touch screens did not go unnoticed by outside observers.
The GRIHA Adarsh Award recognized Gandhi Teerth in 2014, honoring the standards behind its design and construction.
The Artists in Concrete Awards Asia Fest gave the site a second honor, covering the 2013-14 cycle.
That 2013-14 honor suggests a building judged on its own architecture, not only on the man it houses.
Common questions
What is Gandhi Teerth in Jalgaon?
Gandhi Teerth is a research institution and museum on Mahatma Gandhi in Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India, about 60 kilometres from the Ajanta Caves. It is formally known as the Gandhi Research Foundation.
When was Gandhi Teerth established?
Gandhi Teerth was established on the 25th of March 2012, when the President of India, Pratibha Patil, inaugurated the Gandhi Research Foundation.
Who founded Gandhi Teerth?
Gandhi Teerth was founded by Bhavarlal Jain. The Gandhi Foundation initiated and promoted the project.
What can visitors see inside the Gandhi Teerth museum?
The Gandhi Teerth museum has 30 interactive segments equipped with audiovisual systems, touch screens, and a bio-scope describing Mahatma Gandhi. It offers a multilingual, air-conditioned tour of Gandhi's life and works.
How long does a tour of Gandhi Teerth take?
A guided tour of the Gandhi Teerth museum takes approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. Guides described as amiable lead visitors through the exhibits.
What awards has Gandhi Teerth received?
Gandhi Teerth received the GRIHA Adarsh Award in 2014. It also won an Artists in Concrete Awards Asia Fest honor for the 2013-14 cycle.
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