Porbandar is the birth Place of Father of our Nation – Mahatma Gandhiji, who tought the lessions of truth and non-violence to the world and has in his memory, the monument Kirti Mandir that attracts tourist from all over the World. There is Kasturba dham behind the Kirti Mandir. This is a unique Place where the monuments of Rashtrapita Mahatma Gandhi and his wife Kasturba are adjacent to each other. The gorgeous building where Mahatma Gandhi was born is adjacent to the kirti Mandir The foundation stone of modern structure and attractive Kirti Mandir was laid in 1947 by late Shree Darbar Gopaldas Desai and later the great donor and renowned businessmen, Shree Nanjibhai Kalidas Mehta of Porbandar renovated it. The great Iron man of India, Late Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inaugurated and kept open this place for public on May 27, 1950. The height of the temple is of 79 feet symbolizes the 79 years of lifespan of respected Gandhiji. The monument Kirti Mandir is symbole of religious integration of six great world religions. Like Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, church, Parsi temple and mosque are symbolized at Kirti Mandir integrate, which shows Gandhiji’s respect towards all religion.

Kirti Mandir, the memorial of Mahatma Gandehiji was inaugurated, by the auspicious hands of Sardar Shri Vallabhbhai Patel on 27th of May in 1950.

At the time when Gandhiji was released for the last time from the Agakhan palace by the British Government, residential public of Porbandar had decided to construct an ideal memorial on the birth palace of Mahatmaji.  At that time, organization of the project was accomplished by the intensive efforts of the late Maharaja of Porbandar, Shri Natavarsinhji, and Rajaratna Shri Manjibhai Kalidas Mehta and his wife, Smt. Santokbehn.  Before the foundation of the Kirti Mandir was started, the ancient house was purchased from those members if the Gandhian family who were living in the old house.  Mahatmaji himself, on his own part had given his consent to Nanjibhai in writing, with legal documents for the sale of the whole building.  He had signed with his own hand the registration papers.

The whole credit of constructing this national memorial of Mahatma Gandhiji goes to the famous industrialist of Gujarat.  Nanjibhai Kalidas Mehta, and to the whole of the Mehta family, because the creation and construction of the Kirti Mandir could be possible only due to the donations of the late Nanjibhai Mehta.  Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel performed the opening ceremony of the Kirti Mandir.  Afterwards this beautiful memorial was handed over to the Central Government of India.

The whole credit of the architecture of the Kirti Mandir goes to Shri Prushottambhai Mystry, a resident of  Porbandar.  He had got this piece of art completed within two years of time limit by working for days and night himself.

The house wherein Pujya Mahatmaji was born, was purchased by the great grand father of Mahatmaji, Shri Harjivan Raidas Gandhi, some two hundred years before, in the seventeenth century, from a local woman.

Peculiarities of the Kriti Mandir

Kirti Mandir is an attractive structure of the art of the architecture and structure.  In accordance with the age of Gandhiji, the top of the Kriti mandir was made seventy nine feet high, and seventy nine lamps are carved in it.  Much care has been taken to see that there should be no imitation of  any temple of God below the top of the structure.  Instead of any idols, oil painting of life size Gandhiji and Kasturba have been placed there in the sculpture below the top of the monument, useful combination of the Buddhistic and Jain arts has been made along with the traditional art of the Hindu temples.  Moreover, along with all this, some samples of the art of the churches and of the mosques are also shown.

In this way Kirtimandir has become a symbol of Bapu’s ideal of equality of all religions.

Gandhiji wanted to see that he should not be made a God, and so keeping nothing like garlands, the auspicious words like ‘The Truth’ and ‘Non-violence’ are placed near their feet.  It would  be far better to show one’s faith for Gandhiji by reading his good messages rather than by placing flowers before him.  For this purpose some selected sentences of his divine words are written on the marble pillars in the great court-yard, where his full size picture in placed.  Some important incidents of Gandhiji’s life are written here in their histirorical Consequence.

Two rooms are allotted on the either sides of the place where Bapu’s Photographs are placed.  On the right side there are two rooms as the memorials of Shri Maganlalhi Gandhi and Shri Mahadev Desai, and the room on the left hand side is meant for the exhibition of the museum.  These three rooms contain articles of khadibhandar, things of handi-craft, the centre is for the sale of books, the office-room and the reception hall.  The museum here is also a centre of attraction for the visitors.

Kasturba-Mahila Library situated in the Kirtimandir is an international institution.  Many pilgrims and great persons come to visit and to have the darshan of the birth place of Bapu.  The prime ministers, the hom-ministers, Governors of various states and the chief ministers of different states come to visit the Kirtimandir every now and then.  Apart form this, nearly two-lakhs of the devotees of Bapu feel a sort of self satisfaction for having the darshan of Gandhiji’s birth place.  People from all the countries of the world express their feelings of devotion after visiting the Kiritmandir, the birth-place of Mahatma Gandhiji.