Gandhi Memorial Pillar

Gandhi Memorial Pillar is a historic memorial located at Chhatauni Chowk in Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran district, Bihar. The 48-foot sandstone pillar commemorates Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha of 1917, his first satyagraha in India undertaken for indigo farmers. Designed by artist Nandalal Bose, the pillar stands on the site associated with Gandhi's appearance before the Motihari court and is a key landmark of India's freedom movement heritage.

Visitors can expect an open-air memorial centered on a tall sandstone pillar with inscriptions and a charkha motif at the top, set on a raised platform in a small landscaped enclosure at a busy town intersection. The site is accessible from the roadside with paved surroundings, informational plaques, and space for viewing and photography. The setting is urban with nearby shops and traffic, offering a brief, quiet stop to view the monument and read about its historical context.

The pillar commemorates Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran Satyagraha in 1917, undertaken to support indigo farmers against exploitative cultivation practices. On 18 April 1917, Gandhi was summoned to the Motihari court for defying an order to leave Champaran, an event regarded as the beginning of his first satyagraha in India. The memorial was later conceived to mark this event, with its foundation stone laid in the 1930s and the present 48-foot pillar designed by Nandalal Bose and erected in the 1970s.

The pillar is a cultural landmark symbolizing non-violent resistance and agrarian heritage of Champaran. It is a focal point for commemorative events, educational visits and tributes, reflecting Motihari's identity as the starting point of Gandhi's satyagraha movement in India.