PORBANDAR
Let us begin our journey where Gandhi began his. On October 2, 1869, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in a 3-storey blue haveli in the city of Porbandar, where his father, uncle and grandfather had all been prime ministers to the Jethwa Rajput rulers of the princely state. The city had been a prosperous trading center for centuries, conducting much commerce with Arabian and Persian Gulf countries, as well as East Africa, under the Mughals, the Marathas and the British. Now it is a city of industry, with cement and chemical factories ringing the city, contributing to a general  griminess around town.

The site of Gandhi’s birth, now called Kirti Mandir, has been converted into a small museum about him, with an exhibit of old photographs, some of his very few possessions and a nice library of books either by him or relating to Gandhian philosophy and practice. The room where his mother gave birth to him has, as expectable, nothing special about it. It was the family home.

Two km from the middle of town is Bharat Mandir, with exhibits of sculptures, pictures and other examples of Indian tradition. Next door is the Nehru Planetarium, with regular programs about astronomy. Both sites are open from 9am-12pm and 3pm-6pm and entry to each is Rs.3/-.