On October 2, India pauses to remember the man whose name became almost synonymous with non-violence. Gandhi Jayanti marks the birth of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born in Porbandar in 1869, but the curious thing about Gandhi’s legacy is how far it travelled after him. You can find him in the middle of bustling city squares, outside seats of government, inside university campuses and in parks thousands of kilometres from India. This Gandhi Jayanti, here’s a look at 10 countries where Gandhi still has a physical presence.
Gandhi Jayanti: 10 Countries Where His Statues Still Stand
1. South Africa
If Gandhi’s statues had passports, South Africa would probably get the oldest claim. He arrived in the country in 1893 as a young, London-trained lawyer and spent more than two decades there. It was also where the experiences that pushed him towards satyagraha began to take shape. In Johannesburg, the 2.5-metre bronze statue at Gandhi Square shows him not as the familiar elderly man in a dhoti, but as a young lawyer in legal robes.
Then there is Pietermaritzburg, where Gandhi’s South African story took a dramatic turn. On June 7, 1893, he was thrown out of a first-class train compartment despite having a valid ticket. He spent the night at the station, an experience that he later regarded as a turning point. A bronze Gandhi now stands in Church Street in the city, unveiled by Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 1993 to mark the centenary of that incident.
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2. United Kingdom
There is something almost magical about finding Gandhi opposite the British Parliament. A bronze statue of him stands in London’s Parliament Square, surrounded by monuments to figures including Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela. Sculpted by Philip Jackson, the statue was unveiled on March 14, 2015.
London also has another Gandhi connection at Tavistock Square, close to University College London, where Gandhi studied law from 1888 to 1891.
3. United States
New York has Gandhi in the middle of one of Manhattan’s most recognisable public spaces. A monument to Mohandas Gandhi, created by sculptor Kantilal B. Patel, was dedicated in 1986 on a traffic island just southwest of Union Square Park. It is an interesting setting for Gandhi because Union Square has a long history of political gatherings, labour activism and public protest. The statue therefore sits in a part of New York already associated with people taking their grievances to the street.
The US has several other Gandhi memorials, including a prominent statue in Washington, D.C., near the Indian Embassy. India’s cultural diplomacy has also played a role in spreading Gandhi’s likeness across the country.
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4. Australia
In Canberra, Gandhi is tucked into the greenery of Glebe Park rather than standing in front of a grand government building. The bronze sculpture is located at the intersection of Akuna and Bunda Streets, placing the Indian independence leader in Australia’s capital-city landscape. Its presence is a reminder that Gandhi’s influence travelled well beyond movements directly connected to Indian independence.
5. Canada
Winnipeg has a Gandhi statue with an especially appropriate neighbour…the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The sculpture was gifted to the Friends of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights on August 27, 2004, by India’s High Commissioner to Canada on behalf of the Government of India and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations. The initiative was supported by Dr Naranjan S. Dhalla, founder of the India Canada Culture and Heritage Association.
6. Ghana
Ghana’s Gandhi statue comes with a much more complicated footnote on Gandhi Jayanti. A statue was installed at the University of Ghana in Accra in 2016, but some academics and activists objected to it, citing Gandhi’s writings and statements about Black Africans and arguing that an Indian national figure should not occupy a prominent place on the university campus. A petition calling for its removal gathered more than 1,000 signatures. The university eventually removed the statue, and it was later relocated to the AITI-KACE complex in Accra.
7. Italy
Gandhi’s Italian footprint is surprisingly extensive. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations has sent Gandhi statues and busts to multiple Italian locations, including Piazza Gandhi in San Donato, Milan, while other records document Gandhi busts in cities including Rome, Milan and Vicenza.
There is also a personal connection between Gandhi and Italy. In 1931, after attending the Second Round Table Conference in London, Gandhi travelled through Europe and visited Rome. Today, statues and busts of him in Italy transform what could otherwise seem like a distant historical connection into something much more tangible.
8. Brazil
Gandhi has a place in Brasília too, and this one is relatively recent. A Gandhi bust was inaugurated in the Brazilian capital’s City Park on January 9, 2020. India’s Ministry of External Affairs records the installation as part of the cultural relationship between the two countries. The ICCR has also sent a full-sized Gandhi statue to Salvador.
There is something fitting about the Brazilian locations. Gandhi’s influence is often discussed alongside global movements for social justice and non-violent resistance, and Brazil has its own long, complicated history of struggles surrounding inequality, race and political rights.
9. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s relationship with Gandhi is not merely symbolic on Gandhi Jayanti. He actually visited the island extensively in 1927, travelling through different parts of what was then Ceylon. That connection is remembered every Gandhi Jayanti. In Colombo, a 42-inch bronze bust of Gandhi was unveiled at Temple Trees on October 2, 2019, marking his 150th birth anniversary. Sculpted by Ram Vanji Sutar, it depicts Gandhi in a meditative pose. The bust was gifted by India, and it continues to be used for official Gandhi Jayanti tributes. In October 2024, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister and India’s High Commissioner paid floral tributes there.
And Colombo is not the only Sri Lankan city with a Gandhi monument.
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10. Mauritius
Mauritius has perhaps one of the most layered Gandhi memorial stories on this list for Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhi stopped in Mauritius in 1901 while travelling between South Africa and India, and his memory has remained closely tied to the island’s Indian diaspora and cultural history. In Moka, the Mahatma Gandhi Institute has a statue of Gandhi on its campus, where Indian President Droupadi Murmu paid floral tributes during her 2024 visit.
So this Gandhi Jayanti, look beyond the familiar portraits, spinning wheels and textbook photographs. Gandhi’s story has quite literally travelled.
Cover Image Courtesy: gandhidiaries/X
FAQs
Which countries have statues of Mahatma Gandhi?
Gandhi statues and busts can be found in countries including South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Brazil, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.
Where is Gandhi’s famous statue in South Africa?
A prominent bronze statue of Gandhi stands at Gandhi Square in Johannesburg. Another statue is located in Pietermaritzburg, where Gandhi experienced the well-known 1893 train incident.
Where is Gandhi’s statue in the United States?
The US has several Gandhi memorials. One notable statue stands near Union Square Park in New York, while another prominent Gandhi statue is located near the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
