Raj Ghat

Delhi must be one of the very few cities in the world that have failed to develop their riverfront. No romantic walks by the Yamuna for anyone nor the city lights winking back from its mysterious depths. The closest you can get to the river are the various memorials between Red Fort and Ring Road. The most prominent among these is Raj Ghat dedicated to the father of the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The historic name refers to the ghat (stepped embankment) at the edge of the river.


¤ Raj Ghat - A National Memorial

Mahatma Gandhi was cremated on the banks of the Yamuna on 31 January 1948, a day after he was assassinated. He was walking to his customary prayer meeting at Birla House (Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg) when he was shot dead by a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse.
Raj Ghat was later turned into a national memorial, the design for which was conceived by Vanu G Bhuta. A stone footpath flanked by well-tended lawns leads to a walled enclosure, open to the sky, with a simple stone platform in black marble to mark the site. The Mahatma’s last words have been engraved on it – Hey Ram. Prayer meetings are held every Friday at 1700hrs.