Gandhi Maidan
| Gandhi Maidan | |
|---|---|
|
Gandhi Maidan | |
| Location |
Patna, India 25°36′28.77″N 85°10′03.06″E / 25.6079917°N 85.1675167°E |
| 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, Anugrah Narayan Sinha, 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
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.
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. 8 People killed and 66 injured in this serial blasts.[3]
Stampede
On 3 October 2014 a stampede took place in Gandhi Maidan, on the occasion of Dassera festival, where reportedly 32 people died.[4][5]
See also
References
- ↑ Kamat. "Great freedom Fighters". Kamat's archive. Retrieved 2006-02-25.
- ↑ http://www.holidayiq.com/Gandhi-Maidan-Patna-Sightseeing-505-816.html
- ↑ "5 killed in 6 serial bomb blasts at Modi rally". The Times of India. 27 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ↑ "Patna stampede: 32 dead, PM Modi sanctions Rs 2 lakh for kin of departed, Rs 50,000 for critically hurt". Zee News. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ↑ "At least 32 die in stampede during Indian festival". fresnobee. Retrieved 3 October 2014.