Kendrapara, April 1 (LocalWire): The place where Mahatma Gandhi took bath in 1934 during his historic Padayatra in Kendrapara district is to be turned into a museum by the government.
The Mahatma took a bath while sitting on a stone on 30th May 1934 at Dhumat village during his famous Padayatra.
“We decided to convert the riverside place at Dhumat village near the river Brahmani into a museum 87 years after Mahatma Gandhi’s visit to Kendrapada to organize people against untouchability.
It would remind people of the significance of the 1934 Padayatra and highlight the Mahatma’s role in the freedom struggle.
The stone on Gandhiji’s bath will be preserved in the museum,” said Sashibhusan Behera, the former minister and MLA of Kendrapara.
A khadi cloth selling center, a photo gallery, a library and a conference hall will be opened in the proposed Gandhi museum.
Gandhi used tables, chairs and other furniture during his visit to Dhumat.
The authorities will preserve all the items in the museum, said Behera.
“The Padayatra by Gandhiji was one of the important events in the country’s freedom struggle.
Gandhi allowed Dalits to enter temples in some villages during his long walk in Odisha in 1934. Gandhi also addressed a public meeting at Dhumat on 30th May 1934,” said Nanda Kishor Parida the former principal of Kendrapara college.