Date: 16 January 2019
Venue: Prayagraj
Anand Bhavan and we go back a long way. Our late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi passed away when we were in school. This led to a spurt of essays on her and we came to know about Anand Bhavan in Allahabad as Mrs. Gandhi’s childhood home. Motilal Nehru, father to our first Prime Minister Jawaharalal Nehru and Indira Gandhi’s grandfather, had bought the mansion Anand Bhavan as his family residence. This mansion made its grand place in history as it became the local headquarter for Indian National Congress and saw many luminaries such as Gandhiji and like spend time here. Anand Bhavan was later passed on to the Indian Government and is now a museum.
During our recent Kumbh 2019 trip to Allahabad, we had made it a point to take out time and visit Anand Bhavan. It is quite in the heart of the city and is open on all days except Monday. The complex houses Anand Bhavan, a museum on Nehru family and the freedom movement; Swaraj Bhavan which is a display of photographs on the life of Indira Gandhi; and the Jawahar Planetarium. There are sprawling lawns surrounding the area.
Anand Bhavan is a two-storey museum with display of personal effects and rooms and furniture used by Motilal Nehru till Indira Gandhi. The colonial Burma teak book shelves, study tables and recliners are a vintage designer’s delight. Photographs of the Nehru – Gandhi family as well as various leaders of our Independence movement were displayed all over the premise. A book shop is also housed here.
The Swaraj Bhavan is connected to Anand Bhavan through a gate. This had photographs throughout the life and times of Indira Gandhi. No surprise, she was named “Woman of the Millennium” in an online poll by BBC.
The Anand Bhavan museums are not stuffy. Given that there is so much engaging display and relatable history around you, it gives goose bumps off and on. No wonder, it was already 3 hours that we had spent here and closing time for the complex. Consequently, we missed out on the Jawahar Planetarium this time. But there is more to do in Allahabad that we have left for the next trip. Jawahar Planetarium in Anand Bhavan is going to be one of them.
Timing: 9.30 to 5 pm
TIckets: Rs. 70/-
The mansion looks very beautiful and for someone who loves history like me, I’d love to be in the place- read the books and admire the vintage architechture.
What an incredible looking place and structure so rich in history! I also love visiting museums anytime the opportunity presents itself and would love to see this myself.
This place looks amazing. I love visiting places that have a rich history like this.
What a cool experience for you! This looks amazing. Cool photos.
I haven’t visited Anand bavan, I will try to visit next time when I visit Delhi. Yes it has lot of history attached to it.
Museums are really amazing. And I agree it is so easy to get lost in them and just enjoy everything. I know I would love visiting these houses. Just the history in them would make me stand in awe.
I really want to visit Anand Bhavin but never get time when we visit India but the next time when we plan for a trip I’ll make sure we visit this house 😃👍🏼
Looks like a very interesting place full of history!
What a beautiful museum! It is always a good feeling to visit places that reminds you of your roots and history.
Sundeep I visited it way back, hope it is still the same. It contains many important events photographs too. We visited the adjacent Planetarium and liked the show. It is definitely worth a visit.