Gandhi Mandapam in Pondicherry - the biggest Mahatma Gandhi statue in Asia, in Puducherry

From the archive record

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2 October 1869 - 30 January 1948) was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing nonviolent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific Mahatma (Sanskrit: "high-souled", "venerable") - applied to him first in 1914 in South Africa - is now used worldwide. He is also called Bapu in India. Gandhi is commonly, though not officially, considered the Father of the Nation in India. His birthday, 2 October, is commemorated there as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and world-wide as the International Day of Nonviolence. This four-meter square statue, the biggest Mahatma Gandhi statue in Asia, is surrounded by eight magnificent granite pillars