Do you know where Gandhiji lived during his last visit to Kolkata, before he died in 1948? Well, we aren't surprised if you don't which is why we're here to tell you more about Hyderi Manzil that served as the Mahatma's abode when he visited our City of Joy.
Hyderi Manzil is a one-storeyed building located in a narrow lane off the main road in Beliaghata. Did you know it was renamed as Gandhi Bhawan in 2018? What's even more interesting is that it has now been restored into a museum - completely renovated to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
Partha Ranjan Das, conservation architect at the West Bengal Heritage Commission, has overseen the restoration work of this heritage house that has also had the privilege of holding several prayer meets— prarthana sabhas.
Up until the beginning of 2018, the resident in Beliaghata had been looking after the house but in the middle of 2018, the government declared it a heritage site and from there started the process of the building being converted to a museum. In one of the two rooms at the back of Hyderi Manzil is where Gandhi stayed while he was fasting. If you are really interested in the life of Gandhiji, you will find some of his personal possessions — his watch, a charkha, his wooden slippers, a lantern, a mattress and his lathi. These have all been made a part of the museum display.
