Places Related To Indian Freedom Struggle

India awoke to its freedom at the stroke of the midnight hour on the 15th of August, 1947, listening to the stirring speech of its first Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The Indian Tricolour fluttered proudly in the breeze, a tribute to the sacrifices of millions in a freedom struggle that spread over a century. The length and breadth of India are strewn with important places related to Indian freedom struggle. Some of these are iconic landmarks in Indian freedom movement, while others remain unsung and obscure. We invite you to join us on an Independence Day tribute trail, as we take a look at some of the historic places to visit on Independence Day.

Places Related To Indian Freedom Struggle -Historically Important Places In India

If you travel across India, at almost every town or city you are likely to come across important places related to  Indian freedom movement. These are the footprints of the brave warriors of the motherland on the sands of time. These are reminders about the hard-earned freedom of India and the price paid for it. Here are some of the historical cities you should visit on Independence Day to pay tribute to the freedom fighters and builders of India.

Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad was the nerve centre of the Indian freedom moment. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation of course made it his home in 1915. But Ahmedabad was immersed in the spirit of freedom much before the advent of Mahatma Gandhi. As far back as the early 19th century, Ahmedabad had citizen groups that were active in issues affecting their city and not being addressed by the then rulers from the East India Company. This ensures that Ahmedabad has many historical places to visit on Independence Day, or for that matter any day to relive some chapters from India’s freedom struggle.

Sabarmati Ashram

The Sabarmati Ashram or Gandhi Ashram is a place of pilgrimage for Indians as this was where the Mahatma once lived and launched several famous movements of India’s freedom struggle. The most famous of these is the Dandi March. Nestled near the banks of the River Sabarmati, the Gandhi Ashram is wrapped with a serene calm and one can almost feel the presence of Mahatma Gandhi. There is a museum here which showcases the life and times of the Mahatma. There is a very vibrant and touching Sound & Light Show in the evenings which must be experienced.

Amritsar

Amritsar is synonymous with the Golden Temple which is a beautiful and serene Gurudwara. However, Amritsar is also an important and historic place when it comes to India’s struggle for freedom. Some of the places in Amritsar that are sure to touch you and leave you with a swelling pride for the country are listed below:

Jallianwallah Bagh

The place is enveloped in a cocoon of calm. Some pigeons flutter near a wall marked with bullet holes. This is Jallianwalah Bagh, a place that was rocked by the shrieks of hundreds of innocent people trying to escape the indiscriminate firing by the British soldiers. Jallianwalah Bagh was the scene of the infamous massacre ordered by General Dyer. A massacre that saw 379 dead and almost 1000 injured.

Wagah Border

Wagah Border lies some 30 kilometers from the city of Amritsar. It is the border with Pakistan and the place where a colourful Beating Retreat ceremony takes place every evening. A visit to Wagah Border is a must for Indians to experience the patriotic frenzy unleashed at Wagah.

Andaman

The Andaman & Nicobar Islands of India is where the Cellular Jail or Kala Paani of yore is situated. It is here that the British imprisoned the freedom fighters who were fighting for India’s Independence. The place was teeming with revolutionaries exiled because they strived for the freedom of the country. Some of the renowned freedom fighters who were incarcerated at the Cellular Jail included the likes of Yogendra Shukla, Vinayak Savarkar, Batukeshwar Dutt. The Cellular Jail is definitely one of the historic places related to Indian Freedom Struggle.

Bangalore

Bangalore, the city known for its gardens and in contemporary times its parks (read as software parks) has also played its part in the history of India’s freedom movement.

Freedom Park

There are many places related to Indian freedom struggle to visit in Bangalore, apart from the usual places one would visit. One of the most important places is Freedom Park. This was originally the Central Jail built by the British in the year 1866. The jail was where thousands of protesters fighting for the freedom of India were interred. A place that echoed to the frenzied cries for freedom. Today Freedom Park is a place used for protests and other citizen movements.

Kumara Park Guest House

This is another of the historic places related to Indian freedom struggle in Bangalore. Not many know that Mahatma Gandhi stayed here for three months in the year 1927. He used to hold public meetings and conduct evening prayers here which used to be attended by a huge number of people. The place where Mahatma Gandhi used to take walks in the evenings is now marked by the Gandhi Bhavan which houses a museum that contains many letters written by Mahatma Gandhi as well as rare photographs. There is a plaque that marks the place where Mahatma Gandhi conducted his public meetings.

National High School

The National High School was founded in 1917 by Annie Besant and other leaders. It is a historic school that is believed to have hosted many of the leaders of India’s independence movement. Mahatma Gandhi too visited the school on a number of occasions. This is also where one of the noted freedom fighters from Karnataka, H.Narasimhiah, translated the speeches of Mahatma Gandhi into Kannada as a 16-year-old.

Barrackpore

Barrackpore in West Bengal and a part of the Kolkata Metropolitan area is intrinsically linked with the history of India’s freedom movement. Barrackpore is located about 31 kilometres from Kolkata. It was here that in 1857, Mangal Pandey rose in rebellion against the British and was court-martialled and hanged. The place where he was hanged is today turned into a park in his memory. It is known as the Shahid Mangal Pandey Maha Udyan. Barrackpore also has one of the largest Gandhi museums in the country which houses rare photographs, books, and articles.

Bombay (Mumbai)

Mumbai, India’s maximum city was also a historical venue that played a role in many of the historical events that led up to the Independence of India. Mumbai or Bombay has many places related to Indian freedom struggle that resonates with the patriotism that led to the British leaving India.

Gowalia Tank Maidan/August Kranti Maidan

One of the notable places is the Gowalia Tank Maidan, the place that gave birth to the famous Quit India Movement of 1942. It was here that the Indian tricolour was first hoisted by Aruna Asaf Ali. The place is today famous as the August Kranti Maidan. It is one of the landmarks in Indian freedom movement.

Mani Bhavan

One of the other famous places related to the Indian freedom struggle in Mumbai is Mani Bhavan in Gamdevi, Mumbai. This place which is today a museum dedicated to the Father of The Nation once served as the residential quarters of Mahatma Gandhi for 17 eventful years of India’s freedom struggle from 1917 to 1934.

Gateway Of India

The Gateway of India has stood as a mute witness to many an event that has shaken the very fabric of our nation. The monument which is a legacy of the British was completed in 1924. Ironically it is the Gateway of India from where the last of the British soldiers left Indian soil as India awoke to freedom. The Gateway of Indis is indeed one of the historic monuments to visit on Independence day.

Calcutta (Kolkata)

Kolkata was at the forefront of the freedom struggle. There are many places in Kolkata where the cries of the freedom fighters still echo. Here are some of the places related to the Indian freedom struggle in Kolkata that one must visit.

Arya Samaj

Arya Samaj was, of course, the centre of the social renaissance in India, but it was also the place where Bhagat Singh sought sanctuary after killing the British police officer, P.Saunders in 1928. It is believed that he spent about a week hiding here and is said to have made bombs and other weapons during his stay here. He is said to have visited the place again in 1929, in connection with the bombing of the Legislative Assembly.

Champaran

Champaran in Bihar is famous for being the site of the first Satyagraha in India. In the year 1917, Mahatma Gandhi had just returned from South Africa and he used the method of peaceful protest, Satyagraha for the first time in India. This was a farmers’ movement to protest against the forceful cultivation of Indigo by the British. This saw the Satyagraha movement burgeoning into a popular movement that gave momentum and direction to India’s freedom movement, which ultimately culminated in the country’s independence on the 15th of August, 1947.

Chauri Chaura

Chauri Chaura is a place in the Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh. It was here that the “Chauri Chaura incident”, took place in 1922. In the incident, a group of protesters participating in the Non-Cooperation Movement clashed with the Police who resorted to firing. The mob set fire to a police station killing everyone inside. A shocked Mahatma Gandhi halted the Non-Cooperation Movement after this incident. The British tried 228 people in connection with this incident and finally, 19 were hanged. Today there is an official memorial to the people who were hanged, built by the Government of India, in their memory.

Chennai

The city of Chennai has played an important role in India’s freedom struggle. Many events of national importance have taken place there and many great leaders called Chennai their home. Here are some of the places related to Indian freedom struggle that one must visit in Chennai.

Tilak Bhavan, No. 2 Cathedral Road

This is a historic place that today is a luxury hotel. This was the rented house where C. Rajgopalachari who was the first Indian Governor-General and also the last Governor-General. He later became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. The place is also historic in the sense that this is where Mahatma Gandhi and Rajaji first met. The place is today a luxury hotel run by ITC. A plaque near the entrance to the hotel commemorates the first meeting of the two leaders. It is surely one of the important places related to Indian freedom struggle to visit in Chennai.

Tilak Ghat on Marina Beach

The sound of the waves of the Arabian Sea would be drowned by the passionate voices of the leaders of India addressing the huge crowds of fellow Indians on the Marina Beach. The place where public gatherings were addressed by leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Annie Besant, Subash Chandra Bose, etc., was the Tilak Ghat. These leaders left their footprints on the sands of times and their voices still resonate over the waves that crash on Marina Beach. A place to ponder over the immense sacrifices and struggles of the countless freedom fighters that laid down their lives for India’s independence. The place is one of the historical places related to the Indian freedom struggle.

Dandi

Dandi is a well-known place and occupies a prime position in the history of India’s independence. This small village of Gujarat sprung into the limelight when Mahatma Gandhi led a march from the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad to Dandi to protest against the salt tax imposed by the British Government. Dandi is located about 269 kilometres from Ahmedabad and about 31 kilometres from the city of Surat in Gujarat. There is a Gandhi Museum at Dandi which commemorates the epoch-making Dandi salt Satyagraha. Dandi is one of the must-visit places among the places related to the Indian freedom struggle in Gujarat.

Delhi

Delhi has historically been the seat of power in India. It is also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is known that seven different cities have existed in the region we know as Delhi across history. It being so, it is natural that Delhi was at the forefront of India’s freedom movement and there are many places related to the Indian freedom struggle in and around Delhi. Here are some of the places to visit this Independence Day in Delhi.

Birla Bhavan/Gandhi Smriti

Birla Bhavan is the place where Mahatma Gandhi spent his last days and also where he was assassinated by Nathuram Godse. This was a house owned by the Birla family. The place is now known as Gandhi Smriti and is turned into a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. A canopy called Martyrs column now stands at the place where Mahatma Gandhi breathed his last. Gandhi Smiriti is a place one must visit to pay homage to the memory of the Father of the Nation.

Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid in Delhi has played an important role in India’s freedom struggle. Many leaders of the freedom movement like Mahatma Gandhi and Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad have delivered speeches here. Swami Sraddhanad, a disciple of Swami Dayanand Saraswati too had delivered a speech to the packed crowds inside the Jama Masjid.

Raj Ghat

Raj Ghat is the memorial built for Mahatma Gandhi at the spot where he was cremated. It is a black marble platform that is a reminder of the simplicity of the man the world knew as Mahatma Gandhi. A place of beauty and serenity, the Gandhi Smriti is one of the most poignant places related to Indian freedom struggle to visit in Delhi.

Red Fort

The Red Fort is a historic monument with many an association with the Independence movement of India. To this day the Indian flag is hoisted from the ramparts of the Red Fort by the Prime Minister on 15th August, the Independence Day of India. The Prime Minister also addresses the nation from here.

The Red Fort was also the place where the soldiers of Subhash Chandra Bose’s INA were court-martialed in what came to be known as the Red Fort Trials. The Red Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the iconic places related to Indian freedom struggle.

Jhansi

Jhansi, the name itself evokes images of a fearless woman, a queen who left her mark on the annals of history with her bravery, a woman India reveres as, “Jhansi Ki Rani”. The queen played a major role in the first war of Indian Independence in 1857. Some of the places to visit when in Jhansi are the Rani Mahal which was the residence of Rani Lakshmibai, the Jhansi Fort, and the Jhansi Museum. Visiting Jhansi is like losing oneself in one of the places related to the Indian freedom struggle. Jhansi is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Porbandar

Porbandar in Gujarat is one of the most important of the places related to Indian freedom struggle as it is the place where Mahatma Gandhi was born in the year 1869. The ancestral home of Gandhiji is preserved as a memorial and is known by the name of Kirti Mandir.

Rajkot

Not far from Porbandar is Rajkot which again is one of the important places related to the Indian freedom struggle. It was here that Mahatma Gandhi did his schooling at the Alfred High School after his family shifted here from Porbandar. The school is today a state of the art museum called Mahatma Gandhi Museum that showcases the life of Mahatma Gandhi.

Wayanad

Wayanad in Kerala is known for its scenic beauty and landscapes. However, Wayanad also happens to be the place where the inspiring story of Pazhassi Raja was scripted. The king of the region named Kerala Varma or simply Pazhassi Raja fought the East India Company and was a continuous thorn in their flesh during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

This was much before the first war of Indian Independence in 1857. Pazhassi Raja died fighting the British in 1805. Today thousands pay their tribute at the Pazhassi Memorial which is believed to be the tomb of the valiant king who defied the British till his death. The tomb of Pazhassi Raja is one of the historical places related to Indian freedom struggle that one must visit when in Wayanad.

Has this post on places related to Indian freedom struggle inspired you to explore some of the landmarks in Indian freedom movement?

Here are a few travel essentials for planning your trip to some of the important places related to Indian freedom movement:

Flights: You can book your flight to any of these important places related to Indian freedom movement or to a nearby city through TripAdvisor or Agoda or CheapAir or Cleartrip or Makemytrip or Priceline and get some awesome deals.

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Guided Tours: If you are thinking of travelling to any of these places related to the Indian freedom struggle, you can book online some of the best tours through GetYourGuide.

How many of these fascinating places related to Indian freedom struggle have you been to? These are only some of the innumerable places where the Bravehearts of India fought for the freedom of the country. In every corner of the country, millions of unsung freedom warriors fought for the freedom of the motherland.

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