Sabarmati Ashram was Gandhiji's home from 1917 onwards, when he returned from South Africa.
This site was chosen because it was a bit far from the city (at the time) and was located close to a British prison filled with Indian prisoners, whose suffering Gandhiji felt would motivate his struggle.
Gandhiji had reasons for making his home state his base. He said: 'Being a Gujarati, I'll serve my country best through the use of the Gujarati language. As Ahmedabad was the centre of the handloom in early days, the work of spinning wheel (charkha) could be done in a better way, I believed. Being the capital of Gujarat, its wealthy persons will also make a larger contribution, I hoped.'
The ashram is located on a 36 acre plot that was once mostly jungle. Across the Sabarmati river was the city of Ahmedabad and its mills.
Image: Bapu's glasses became so popular that the circular frame came to be known as Gandhi glasses.
Also read: 'There's something about Gandhi'
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