Planet Gujarat

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial - Sardar Patel Museum

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial – Sardar Patel Museum

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Memorial is a historic museum and exhibition centre committed to great Indian freedom fighter and politician Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The museum is located at Moti Shahi Mahal in posh area of Shahibaug, Ahmedabad. This is also known as Moto Shahi Mahal in Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad is a city of celebrations and historical memories. On one side you can see the celebrations like Vibrant Gujarat Navratri festivals and International Kite Festivals while on the other side there are some of the most ancient and UNESCO World Heritage Places to visit. Ahmedabad city is a great mix of heritage and cultures simultaneously the most happening and industrial hub of the state as well. Also Gujarat is known for some of its great legends like Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel who played and important role into the national fight for independence. Excitingly both of these great personalities’ memorial are in the same city of Ahmedabad. For Mahatma Gandhi we have Sabarmati Ashram where Gandhiji lived for almost 12 years and for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel we have Sardar Patel National Memorial in Ahmedabad. The Sardar Patel National Memorial is outstanding museum describing the life and ode of this great national personality.

Sardar Patel Museum Image Gallery

ABOUT THE SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL MEMORIAL

The museum was constructed by then chief minister of Gujarat Shri Babubhai Jasbhai Patel in the year of 1978. Then after several changes are made to the museum subsequently. Current addition of multimedia shows and enhancement of infrastructure were made in the year 2013. The last initiative was undertaken to modify the exhibition and add more exhibits to the museum done by Shri Dinsha Patel. There is chairman, secretory and board of trustees who currently manages the museum and its activities. Some of the dignitaries visited these museum of Sardar Patel Memorial in Ahmedabad are Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Shri Narendra Modi.

HISTORY OF THE PLACE

The Moti Shahi Mahal was actually constructed by the great Mughal emperor Shahjahan during the years of 1618 to 1622, during these years he was the Suba or Governor of the Gujarat. However, the palace later on control by the English people during the British Raj. During this time Ahmedabad city was the cantonment that is ruled by the British Government. Great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore once lived in Ahmedabad city in this building when he was seventeen years old. After the independence this building was used as a Raj Bhavan – an official residence of Governor of Gujarat, from 1960 to 1978. On the centennial birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, this building was honored to him and a memorial was founded on 7th March, 1980.

ABOUT SARDAR PATEL MEMORIAL AHMEDABAD

The building of the Sardar Patel Memorial in Ahmedabad looks mesmerizing form the very beginning when you enter into the premises. The white and red color combination with well-maintained building and lush green lawn looks breathtaking. The bust of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is on the front to welcome all. There are few other statues inside the premises as well. There is also a life size statue of Sardar Patel inside the museum with saluting pose and Indian maps in background. The statue is mentioned as the “THE ARCHITECT OF MODERN INDIA”. However there is more to cherished inside the museum for history lover. There is a magnificent statue where Sardar Patel is sitting with two other legends Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. This statue will bring you down to memory lane into the era of pre-independence. The three legends are busy in some serious conversations and the odds are shown accurately through craftsmanship. The statue is marked with a sentence of “THE THREE BARRISTERS WHO FOUGHT FOR INDIA”.

EXHIBITS OF SARDAR PATEL NATIONAL MEMORIAL

The museum has exhibits and artifacts belonging to Sardar Patel alongside several old and rare photographs that shows the different stages of his life. There are two multimedia halls inside the museum. It has audio-visual presentation that showcase different stages of Sardar Patel’s life and work. These presentations is available in three different languages of Gujarati, Hindi and English. The personal headset is given to each visitors and they can select their choice of language. The show with 3D sounds, laser and lighting is a bespoke show and first of its kind in India.

Multimedia Hall 1 Exhibits

Gesture wall
Wall projections
A short film on the Iron man of India

Multimedia Hall 2 Exhibits

Mural with LCD displays
Archived newspaper
Tribute messages
Timeline sliding LCD
Jail zone
Interactive Charkha
Speeches of Sardar
Multi-touch table
Interactive Quiz
Feedback zone

This exhibition exhibits some of the great portrait of Sardar Vallabhbhai with his family members and friends. The biography of Sardar Patel is also exhibit in this museum depicting some the different phases of his life. A small statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is dignified on the entrance of the museum. The entire memorial is spread across ground floor and four rooms, including central hall and four adjacent rooms. One can also see political cartons, cuttings from newspapers, quotes people dedicated to him and some of the personal possessions as well. The collection includes Khadi Kurta, Bandi and Dhoti, his shoes, slippers and European style clothes from his younger days. Another historic article is the Indian flag shaped by the Indian National Congress in the 1930s.

There is also a room on the first floor which is dedicated to Rabindranath Tagore, where he stayed in the past. This room carries memories of Tagore including portraits, writing, pictures and a large size painting.

This entire museum is well surrounded by the Sardar Open Garden, the place where you can see lots of peacocks and monkeys living like their natural habitat. The Sardar Open Air Theatre at the museum shows documentary and small films on the life of Sardar Patel on occasions.