Bapuji was born here.

The house where Gandhiji was born

The spot where Gandhiji was born

We visited Porbandar and the house where Gandhiji was born. A very old house purchased by his great grandfather in 1777, it has adjacent to it, the Kirti Mandir, a memorial to Gandhiji. The narrow house and the small rooms housed Bapu for ten years before the family moved to Rajkot, We stood in the study and tried to visualise the great man ( a a playful boy)here. The memorial is huge and is 79 feet tall , the height equal to his lifespan. Encompassing the architecture styles of all religions, this building at the end of a narrow lane was inaugurated in 1950.

We spent a leisurely afternoon exploring the house and viewing the photos in the gallery.

It saddened me to see many small children begging on the streets outside. Didn't Gandhiji say, ""If we are to teach real peace in this world…we shall have to begin with the children"?

We stopped by the 'Bombay behl and sandwich center'. We also bought some snacks for the little beggar girls who had run off to badger other tourists.

We bid goodbye to this port which also boasts of being the home to Lord Krishna's best friend, Sudama (Porbandar is also known as Sudamapuri).