Dandi, located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, is a village in the Jalalpore taluka , Navsari District, Gujarat, India. Dandi gains its popularity due to the historic Dandi March and the Salt-Law monopoly breakage of the British era. Today a lot of tourists are attracted towards Dandi because of the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial built up there.
How To Reach Dandi
- By Air : Situated at a distance of around 60 km, the nearest airport is the Surat airport .
- By Rail : 20 km from Navsari Railway Station .
- By Road : Dandi is situated in the Jalalpore taluka of Navsari District. Also, State Transport buses are available to reach there from Navsari.
About National Salt Satyagraha Memorial
The memorial is spread over a large campus of 15 acres (61,000 m2) and is located in the town of Dandi, where the Salt March ended on 6th of April ,1930 and the Salt monopoly of British era was broken by producing salt by boiling sea water at Dandi.
The memorial was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 30 January 2019, which dates to be the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
About the center memorial
The project was developed at an estimated cost of ₹89 crore which sums up to an amount of 12 million US$. The monument is a 40-metre that is 130 ft high frame of steel in “A” shape, which symbolizes two hands. In order to protect the monument from sea coast weather and humidity, it is made up of a complete non-corroding material.
At the apex of the monument, there is a 2,500 kg of a glass cube structure representing the salt crystal. The cube is nicely illuminated by laser lights at night which creates the illusion of a pyramid and the sight pleases one’s eye.
Under the canopy of the cube, there is a 16 ft tall statue of Mahatma Gandhi projecting the direction for forward march.The raised structure was sculpted by Sadashiv Sathe.
The 80 statue story
Towards the left of the main memorial there are life sized statues of Gandhiji along with his 79 volunteers. This depicts the main leading volunteers leading the march along with Gandhiji.
These statues are made up of bronze and there were 40 different sculptors that were selected from different countries like India, Austria, Japan,UK ,United States etc. Each of these sculptors created two statues each. After the clay sculptures had been completed, they were cast in silicon-bronze alloy by Studio Sukriti located in Jaipur.
Narrative Murals
In the memorial campus to the left side after entrance there are 24 narratives murals. The concept was made at IIT Bombay and Clayfingers Pottery at Urakam, Kerala after which this 2metres high rocks were cast in clay by Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University and later they were cast in bronze by studio Sukriti. The murals depict the complete Dandi march story. There are information boards installed for keen history interested people to know exactly what does each mural wants to coonvey.
Lake and Solar Plant
An artificial lake is also created in the center of this amazing location. It was created to symbolize the seashore aspect of the Salt Satyagraha movement.
Gandhiji in the Freedom Struggle always wove the thought of self-sufficiency and to bring this into action the memorial is made in a way that it itself puts up to its energy needs. To achieve this 40 Solar Trees with energy storing capacity are installed. This makes the complete setting to be a net zero-energy project.
The organisation committee will shortly be installing solar salt making pan in the memorial campus for visitors to get an experience of the salt manufacturing process.
The entry inside the memorial is with charges which are as given below :
| Sr. | Particulars | Ticket Rate (INR) |
| 1 | Below 5 years | Free |
| 2 | 6 to 12 Years | INR 10.00 |
| 3 | Above 12 Years (Per Person) | INR 20.00 |
| 4 | Foreign Visitor | INR 100.00 |
More places around :
1. Saifee Villa
Saifee villa is the place where the marchers of the Dandi March made their stay on the night of 5 April 1930. It was owned by Syedna Taher Saifuddin . He then in 1961, requested Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to dedicate this villa to the nation as part of the national heritage.
The villa in now converted into Gandhi Memorial Museum which is the only monument reminiscent of the historical salt march . There are various things historic and still kept intact in the villa.
2. Dandi Beach
Dandi beach stands to be one of the cleanest beaches on the entire Arabian Sea chain. A person who is a complete enthusiast for beaches, Dandi proves to be a great spot as it is a beautiful beach destination. The scenic beauty of the beach combined with Dandi’s rich history makes it a spot favourite among many tourists visiting this place.
The sand on this beach is as far as the eyes can see and stands at a very beautiful contrast against the blue sky.You can sit back and relax over there in the lap of nature. Or else explore the beautiful landscape and give your inner historian some space for thought. A small garden also exists at Dandi Beach which is very well-maintained . It is also a peaceful place to sit back and pass your time. The gliding waters of Arabian Sea and the serene environment of the beach makes it a good photography and relaxation and spot.
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