Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has announced plans to construct a new Gandhi memorial in Belagavi at an estimated cost of ₹100 crore, marking the centenary of the historic 1924 Congress session over which Mahatma Gandhi presided.
Speaking at a Gandhi Jayanti programme in Bengaluru on Friday, Shivakumar said the government would make provision for the project in the next State Budget. The announcement comes nearly two years after Belagavi hosted centenary programmes commemorating the 1924 Congress session, the only session of the Indian National Congress presided over by Gandhi.
The proposed memorial, however, would come in a city and district that already have several important Gandhi-associated sites.
Veera Soudha in Tilakwadi, built at the site of the 1924 Congress session, is the most prominent of them. The complex has a memorial hall, library, photo gallery, Gandhi statue and the historic Congress Well. The State Government undertook development works at the site as part of the centenary celebrations in 2024.
At Peeranwadi, the government established a Mahatma Gandhi Bhavan in 2022. Spread across two acres, the complex has Gandhi statues, an exhibition area, meditation centre and displays depicting the Dandi March and Gandhi’s life and work.
In Hudali, around 30 km from Belagavi, the Gandhi-Gangadhar Rao Deshpande Smarak was established in 1982. Gandhi stayed in Hudali in 1937 while attending the Gandhi Seva Sangh conference. The memorial includes a gallery documenting Gandhi’s association with the village and its khadi tradition.
There is also a Gandhi Smarak at Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Garden in Shahapur, a long-standing Gandhi memorial in the city.
Beyond these established memorials, several other locations in Belagavi district are associated with Gandhi’s visits. In Navalihal in Chikodi taluk, where Gandhi stayed for two days in 1934, villagers have recently sought government intervention to preserve the house where he stayed and the nearby Gandhi Bavi as a memorial.
Against this backdrop, the proposed ₹100-crore project raises questions about its proposed location, scope and relationship with the existing Gandhi memorials.
The Chief Minister also announced plans to establish Gandhi Memorial Pillars at places across Karnataka visited by Gandhi during the freedom movement, with the work to be completed before Gandhi Jayanti in 2027.
The government had earlier announced a broader programme to develop sites associated with Gandhi’s visits across Karnataka. The latest announcement indicates that the State intends to continue that effort while creating a major new memorial in Belagavi.
Details such as the proposed site, land requirement, design, facilities and whether the new memorial will incorporate or upgrade any of the existing Gandhi institutions in Belagavi are yet to be made public.