The Afterlife of Gandhi's Ashes

Words by Dan Thalkar

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The Afterlife of Gandhi's Ashes by Dan Thalkar

Mohandas K. Gandhi is the most famous Indian in the world, a global secular saint alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The freedom-fighting ascetic is a model of civil disobedience and a staple of children’s school lessons about heroes from world history. His legacy has grown under attack from both the left and the right over the last decade: from the right for his message of interfaith unity; from the left for his racism and caste-blindness, along with some questionable co-sleeping practices in the latter decades of his life. Far from a straight-forward story of heroism, his life and legacy are profoundly complex. 

But this isn’t a story about Gandhi’s life. This is a story about his ashes. 

Travel to the Self-Realization Fellowship nestled in the hills of Los Angeles’ westside and, along with perfectly manicured gardens and a striking view of the Pacific Ocean, you will find an unusual and unexpected sight - a shrine built out of 1,000 year old stone imported from China. This shrine contains what are, by most accounts, the last remaining portions of Gandhi’s ashes outside of India.

It turns out that Gandhi’s remains, like his legacy, have had a twisting, complicated afterlife.