{{Short description|Statue in New Delhi, India}} {{Use Indian English|date=July 2022}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox historic site | name = Gyarah Murti | image = File:Gyarah Murti Statue, New Delhi.JPG | caption = The Gyarah Murti statue | location = President's Estate, New Delhi, India | architect = Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury }} '''Gyarah Murti''' is a monument located in New Delhi, India, commemorating the country's struggle for independence under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury is credited as its sculptor. An ensemble of eleven statues, ten represent people from diverse sociocultural, religious and economic backgrounds following Gandhi in the lead. Widely believed to depict the Dandi March, the statue has been replicated in other cities in India and was featured on the old 500-rupee currency note.<ref>{{cite news |title=This Gandhi Jayanti, we follow trail of the Mahatma's statues in Delhi NCR |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ahead-of-gandhi-jayanti-here-s-a-trail-of-the-mahatma-s-statues-in-the-capital/story-05TqaoT72tHScsB1SLmPiO.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=1 October 2016 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Glimpses of Gandhi: Places you can visit |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/glimpses-of-gandhi-places-you-can-visit/story-ICQ1OXPVuSPJoahpenTe3L.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=2 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref> ==Location== The statue is located near the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, at the T-junction where Sardar Patel Marg meets Mother Teresa Crescent.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Judith |last2=Parel |first2=Anthony |title=The Cambridge Companion to Gandhi |date=21 February 2011 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-82484-2 |page=213 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KLM8kMZZu-IC&dq=gyarah+murti&pg=PA213 |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Das |first1=Arpita |title=The women who heeded Gandhi's call |url=https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-women-who-heeded-gandhi-s-call-1554530300409.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=mint |date=6 April 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mahatma Gandhi's legacy looms large over Rashtrapati Bhavan |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/mahatma-gandhis-legacy-looms-large-over-rashtrapati-bhavan-6689174/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=4 October 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The statue is approached through Sardar Patel Marg and the entire locality is known as Gyarah Murti.<ref>{{cite news |title=Delhi's missing public art |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhis-missing-public-art/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=27 March 2009 |language=en}}</ref> thumb|right|The statue is located at the junction of Sardar Patel Marg and Mother Teresa Crescent.
== Sculptor== Devi Prasad Roy Choudhury is credited as the creator of the statue which was commissioned by the Government of India in 1972 as a national monument to commemorate the silver jubilee of Indian independence.<ref>{{cite news |title=Govt plan for Independence jubilee |url=https://www.thehindu.com/archives/govt-plan-for-independence-jubilee/article65658341.ece?homepage=true |access-date=25 July 2022 |work=The Hindu |date=19 July 2022 |language=en-IN}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Nainy |first1=Mamta |title=A Brush with Indian Art |date=23 March 2018 |publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited |isbn=978-93-5305-171-6 |page=109 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjJjDwAAQBAJ&dq=gyarah+murti&pg=PT134 |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=October 16, Forty Years Ago: Sculptor Dead |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/october-16-forty-years-ago-pravda-on-peking/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=16 October 2015 |language=en}}</ref> It bears semblance to the Martyr's Memorial in Patna, which was inaugurated in 1956, and features six figures following a flag bearer.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Abhay |title=Martyred for freedom |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/martyred-for-freedom/articleshow/14197552.cms |access-date=24 March 2024 |work=The Times of India |date=17 June 2012}}</ref> The Martyr's Memorial in Patna commemorates the martyrdom of seven students who were shot dead by the Gurkha Military Police as they attempted to hoist the Congress flag at the Patna Secretariat as part of the Quit India Movement.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kumar |first1=Abhay |title=The magnificent 7 of Bihar live on |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/features/magnificent-7-bihar-live-on-2351599 |access-date=24 March 2024 |work=Deccan Herald |agency=DHNS |date=19 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Foundation of Patna's Martyrs Memorial laid on Aug 15, 1947; spl philatelic tribute on 75th anniv |url=https://theprint.in/india/foundation-of-patnas-martyrs-memorial-laid-on-aug-15-1947-spl-philatelic-tribute-on-75th-anniv/1085009/ |access-date=24 March 2024 |work=ThePrint |agency=PTI |date=16 August 2022}}</ref>
thumb|right|Martyr's Memorial in Patna
==Design== The statue features at its head Mahatma Gandhi who is followed by ten other persons who include a woman with a sari draped over her head, a group of three men – a Hindu, a Sikh and a Muslim, a turbaned man, an emaciated man, a Christian priest, a woman and a young man urging a tired old man to join the group.<ref>{{cite web |title=Here's All About Gyarah Murti, A Massive & Glistening Black Sculpture In The Heart Of The City |url=https://so.city/delhi/article/a-massive-glistening-black-sculpture-in-the-heart-of-the-city-all-about-gyarah-murti |website=So City |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en |date=12 March 2022}}</ref> The statues are bronze cast and have a height of {{convert|8|ft}}, and the entire installation is {{convert|26|m}} long and {{convert|3|m}} tall.<ref>{{cite web |title=Public Art: Sculptures by Deviprasad Roy Chowdhury capture key moments in Indian History |url=https://www.theheritagelab.in/sculptures-deviprasad-roy-chowdhury-indian-history/ |website=The Heritage Lab |access-date=18 July 2022 |date=17 June 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Milton |first1=Lawrence |last2=Aug 10 |first2=H. M. Aravind / TNN / Updated |title=I-Day gift: Bringing alive Dandi March |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9516666.cms |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>
It is commonly believed that the statue represents Gandhi's march to Dandi and that certain figures have been modelled on Matangini Hazra, Sarojini Naidu, Brahmabandhab Upadhyay and Abbas Tyabji.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Das |first1=Arpita |title=The women who heeded Gandhi's call |url=https://www.livemint.com/mint-lounge/features/the-women-who-heeded-gandhi-s-call-1554530300409.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=mint |date=6 April 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Public Art: Sculptures by Deviprasad Roy Chowdhury capture key moments in Indian History |url=https://www.theheritagelab.in/sculptures-deviprasad-roy-chowdhury-indian-history/ |website=The Heritage Lab |access-date=18 July 2022 |date=17 June 2021}}</ref> However, both these assumptions have been disputed. It has been contended that the statue is not a representation of the Salt March as were no women among the group of satyagrahis who accompanied Gandhi on this march.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reading |first1=A. |last2=Katriel |first2=T. |title=Cultural Memories of Nonviolent Struggles: Powerful Times |date=9 June 2015 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-03272-0 |pages=41–43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K9K_CQAAQBAJ&dq=deviprasad+roychowdhury+gyarah+murti&pg=PA41 |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The plaque at the statue states that it was built "In memory of the countless Indians who, generation after generation, struggled and sacrificed against foreign rule. Mahatma Gandhi's leadership of the Indian National Congress finally won independence and Jawaharlal Nehru became the first Prime Minister of free India on 15 August 1947."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reading |first1=A. |last2=Katriel |first2=T. |title=Cultural Memories of Nonviolent Struggles: Powerful Times |date=9 June 2015 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-03272-0 |pages=41–43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K9K_CQAAQBAJ&dq=deviprasad+roychowdhury+gyarah+murti&pg=PA41 |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref> As is the case in Choudhary's other works, the figures that constitute the Gyarah Murti, with the exception of Gandhi, are not persons of eminence but represent common people drawn from various classes and communities of India united in the common cause of seeking India's independence.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kurian |first1=Annly Anna |title=Statues of New Delhi |url=https://dhaaramagazine.in/2021/03/30/statues-of-new-delhi/ |website=Dhaara |access-date=18 July 2022 |date=30 March 2021}}</ref> The statue is one of Delhi's best-known examples of public art.<ref>{{cite news |title=Delhi's missing public art |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/delhis-missing-public-art/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=27 March 2009 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kumar |first1=Meenakshi |title=Public art needs a start |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/public-art-needs-a-start/articleshow/6721342.cms |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Times of India |date=10 October 2010 |language=en}}</ref>
==Replicas and other depictions== thumb|Reverse of the {{INR}}500 banknote between October 1997 – November 2016
''Who Deviated First?'', a digital print on archival paper by the artist Gigi Scaria, is a morphed photograph of the Gyarah Murti where the statues following Gandhi have been turned around and appear to walk in the opposite direction.<ref>{{cite news |title=Artists across generations have painted the Mahatma |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/artists-generations-painted-mahatma-gandhi-jayanti-october-2-7546717/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=2 October 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Bapu as a muse |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/vivacity/bapu-as-a-muse.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Pioneer |language=en}}</ref> The 2010 work is a comment on India's divergence from Gandhi's ideals and its growing communal and caste violence.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reading |first1=A. |last2=Katriel |first2=T. |title=Cultural Memories of Nonviolent Struggles: Powerful Times |date=9 June 2015 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-137-03272-0 |pages=41–43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K9K_CQAAQBAJ&dq=deviprasad+roychowdhury+gyarah+murti&pg=PA41 |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=A look at Mahatma Gandhi through the eyes of artists |url=https://www.architecturaldigest.in/content/mahatma-gandhiji-jayanti-artists-delhi-2019/ |website=Architectural Digest India |publisher=Condé Nast |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en-IN |date=2 October 2019}}</ref> A replica of the Gyarah Murti was installed in Mysore, Karnataka, in 2011, whereas the copy built in 2015 in Godhra in Gujarat met with controversy when it emerged that it had only nine followers instead of ten as in the original.<ref>{{cite news |title=Replica of 'Gyarah Moorti' unveiled in city |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/184058/replica-gyarah-moorti-unveiled-city.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=Deccan Herald |date=15 August 2011 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Milton |first1=Lawrence |last2=Aug 10 |first2=H. M. Aravind / TNN / Updated |title=I-Day gift: Bringing alive Dandi March |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/9516666.cms |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Godhra's 'Gyarah Murti' minus one, to be replaced |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/godhras-gyarah-murti-minus-one-to-be-replaced-2898700/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=7 July 2016 |language=en}}</ref> Following widespread criticism, the municipal authorities were forced to fix the error.<ref>{{cite news |title=Godhra municipality begins work to fix Gyarah Murti mural |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/vadodara/godhra-municipality-begins-work-to-fix-gyarah-murti-mural/articleshow/53445774.cms |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Times of India |date=29 July 2016 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Missing 'Gyarah Murti' figure: Godhra Municipality begins work to modify Dandi march sculpture |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/missing-gyarah-murti-figure-godhra-municipality-begins-work-to-modify-dandi-march-sculpture-2943540/ |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Indian Express |date=30 July 2016 |language=en}}</ref> Gyarah Murti featured on a 2010 postage stamp issued by Togo.<ref>{{cite book |last1=R |first1=Lavanya |title=Life of Mahatma Gandhi through Philately: Gandhi Stamp Catalogue |publisher=Catabooks |isbn=978-93-5473-554-7 |page=460 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xXs9EAAAQBAJ&dq=gyarah+murti&pg=PA460 |language=en}}</ref> It also featured on a 2019 postage stamp released by India Post as part of a series on Gandhian heritage in Modern India to commemorate the 150th birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.<ref>{{cite web |title=Postage Stamps Highlight Gandhian Heritage in Modern India |url=https://www.mintageworld.com/media/detail/10223-postage-stamps-highlight-gandhian-heritage-modern-india/ |website=Mintage World |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=en |date=20 August 2019}}</ref> India's 500-rupee currency note featured the statue on its reverse side.<ref>{{cite web |title=Iconic sculpture in the heart of Delhi |url=https://amritmahotsav.nic.in/district-reopsitory-detail.htm?174 |website=Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav |publisher=Ministry of Culture, Government of India |access-date=18 July 2022 |language=English}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Pushkarna |first1=Neha |title=This Gandhi Jayanti, we follow trail of the Mahatma's statues in Delhi NCR |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ahead-of-gandhi-jayanti-here-s-a-trail-of-the-mahatma-s-statues-in-the-capital/story-05TqaoT72tHScsB1SLmPiO.html |access-date=24 March 2024 |work=Hindustan Times |date=1 October 2016 |language=en}}</ref>
==Controversies== In 1999 the round spectacles on Gandhi's statue were stolen, and the statue has since remained without them. The thief was never caught, and the theft has remained unresolved.<ref>{{cite news |title=What makes this Gandhi statue in Luxembourg a rare find |url=https://www.theweek.in/leisure/society/2019/10/23/what-makes-this-gandhi-statue-luxembourg-rare-find.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=The Week |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Gandhi statue without glasses 18 years after theft |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi-news/gandhi-statue-without-glasses-18-years-after-theft/story-pdMWVQJ2eyy1FKeowUnELM.html |access-date=18 July 2022 |work=Hindustan Times |date=1 October 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
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Category:Monuments and memorials in Delhi Category:Statues of Mahatma Gandhi Category:Sculptures of men in India Category:Sculptures of women in India Category:Statues in India