The Aga Khan Palace was built by Sultan Muhammed Shah Aga Khan III in the city of

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

, India. The palace was an act of charity by the spiritual leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims, who wanted to help the poor in the neighbouring areas of Pune, who were drastically hit by famine by offering them work. The Aga Khan Palace is a majestic building. The palace is closely linked to the

Indian freedom movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

as it served as a prison for

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

, his wife

Kasturba Gandhi Kasturbai Mohandas Gandhi (, born Kasturbai Gokuldas Kapadia; 11 April 1869 – 22 February 1944) was an Indian political activist. She married Mohandas Gandhi, more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, in 1883. With her husband and her eldest so ...

, his secretary Mahadev Desai and

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (''née'' Chattopadhyay; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist, feminist and poet. A proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation, and anti-imperialistic ideas, she was an important person in Ind ...

. It is also the place where Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai died. In 2003,

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexand ...

(ASI) declared the site as a monument of national importance. Aga Khan Palace is major attraction of photographers for various kind of photo shoot because of its special architecture, greenery and perfect for photography lighting. Kasturba Samadhi

Museum and history

Museums and History: At the Aga khan palace in Pune, we can see different objects and documents providing information about life of Mahatma Gandhi Historically, the palace holds great significance.

, his wife

and his secretary Mahadev Desai were interned in the palace from 9 August 1942 to 6 May 1944, following the launch of Quit India Movement. Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai died during their captivity period in the palace and have their

Samadhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

s located over there. Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi have their memorials located in the same complex, near Mula river. Legend goes that the Sultan built the palace to provide employment to the famine struck villagers of the surrounding region; so he employed 1000 people, and the palace was constructed in five years. It was built in Rs 12 lakhs. The total area is 13 acres and built up palace covers seven acres, and the rest is a well maintained garden. The palace housed National Model School until early 1970s. In 1969, Aga Khan Palace was donated to the

Indian people Indians or Indian people are the Indian nationality law, citizens and nationals of India. In 2022, the population of India stood at over 1.4 billion people, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most p ...

Aga Khan IV Shāh Karim al-Husayni (born 13 December 1936), known by the religious title Mawlānā Hazar Imam by his Ismaili followers and elsewhere as Aga Khan IV, is the 49th and current Imam of Nizari Ismailis, a denomination within Shia Islam. He ha ...

as a mark of respect to Gandhi and his philosophy. Today the palace houses a memorial on Gandhi where his ashes were kept. The then prime minister Indira Gandhi had visited the place in 1974 where she allotted a sum of every year, for its maintenance. The amount rose to until the 1990s, after which the national monument of India, was neglected for many years due to improper allocation of funds. There was a protest held at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi near

Pune railway station Pune Junction railway station (station code: PUNE) is the main railway junction of the city of Pune, India. It is one of the major railway junctions in Maharashtra. Pune Junction consists of 6 platforms. It also has a suburban train network. ...

in July 1999 to protest against the worsening condition of the monument. The present condition has improved quite a lot.

Significance

Aga Khan palace has Italian arches and spacious lawns. The building comprises five halls. It covers an area of , out of which is the built up area. The palace captivates the eye of a spectator with its magnificence and picturesque architecture. It took 5 years and an estimated budget of to complete this Palace. The area of the ground floor is 1756 m, that of the first floor is 1080 m, whereas the second floor has a construction of 445 m. The speciality of this structure is its corridor of 2.5 meters around the entire building. Prince Karim Aga Khan donated this palace to Gandhi Smarak Samittee in 1972 and since then Parks and Gardens organisation is maintaining it. The palace archives a number of photos and portraits depicting glimpses from the life of

and other personalities of the

Indian freedom struggle The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged from Bengal. ...

. This palace is also the headquarters of the Gandhi National Memorial Society. It also hosts a shop that deals in ''khaadi'' and other hand loomed textiles.

Activities organised at the palace

Gandhi Memorial society celebrates the following public functions at the palace: * Martyr's Day – 30 January. * Mahashivratri – Kasturbha Gandhi's Death Day Celebrated As Mother's Day. * Independence Day – 15 August. *

Republic Day Republic Day is the name of a holiday in several countries to commemorate the day when they became republics. List January 1 January in Slovak Republic The day of creation of Slovak republic. A national holiday since 1993. Officially cal ...

– 26 January. *

's Birth Anniversary – 2 October. Other than yearly events, morning prayer sessions are held daily at the samadhi since decades. The prayer draws huge crowds everyday, and the number goes up threefold on 2 October as people visit the place to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Gallery

File:Aga Khan Palace, Puna.jpg, A scanned image of Aga Khan Palace before India's independence. File:Kasturba_gandhi_burial.JPG,

Memorial Stone (One on the right) with the memorial stone of Mahadev Desai in the palace where she died. File:AgaKhan Palace.jpg, Distance view of the palace. File:Gandhis ashes.jpg, Gandhi's ashes at the palace. File:Agah_khan_palace-front_view.JPG, Front View of Aga Khan Palace File:Agah_khan_palace_-side_view.JPG, Side View of Aga Khan Palace File:Aga_Khan_Palace_Pune_Preeti-Parashar_05.JPG, Aga Khan Palace Full View File:Milestone of Gandhi's Life, at Aga Khan Palace, Pune, India.jpg, Milestones related to Mahatma Gandhi at Aga Khan Palace File:Aga khan palace pune-plaque.jpg, Information Plaque at Aga Khan Palace File:Aga Khan Palace side view.jpg, Aga Khan Palace Side View

References

External links