CM opens renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday declared open the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum here.
He garlanded the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the museum premises and inspected the renovated structure.
In the visitor’s book, he said he was happy to have visited the holy place.
The renovation work was carried out at a cost of ₹10.25 crore by the Heritage Wing of the Public Works Department.
The building, originally Rani Mangammal’s summer palace, was built in the 17th century.
It transitioned to serve as the Collector’s Bungalow and the Judges’ Residence during the British period. After Independence, in 1955, the palace was gifted by the Tamil Nadu government to the All India Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.
It was converted into a museum honouring Mahatma Gandhi, which was inaugurated in 1959 by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
The museum houses Mahatma Gandhi’s 14 belongings, including blood-stained cloth worn when he was assassinated.
The latest renovation work began in October 2022, and a total of ₹6 crore was allocated for the same. Following a request from the Gandhi museum authorities, another ₹4 crore was allocated for additional infrastructure.The renovation was carried out without altering the museum’s heritage structure. Traditional materials were used to preserve the original heritage structure.
The new features at the museum include interactive digitised and touchscreen displays providing information about Mahatma Gandhi, an audio-visual hall where a 15-minute documentary on Mahatma Gandhi’s life history and connection with Madurai will be played. A room for puppet shows is an added
attraction.