Mahatma Gandhi was cremated on the banks of the Yamuna on 31 January 1948, a day after he was assassinated. He was walking to his customary prayer meeting at Birla House (Gandhi Smriti on Tees January Marg) when he was shot dead by a Hindu fanatic, Nathuram Godse. Raj Ghat was later turned into a national memorial, the design for which was conceived by Vanu G Bhuta. A stone footpath flanked by well-tended lawns leads to a walled enclosure, open to the sky, with a simple stone platform in black marble to mark the site. The Mahatma’s last words have been engraved on it – Hey Ram. Prayer meetings are held every Friday at 1700hrs.
An eternal flame burns perpetually at one end and two museums dedicated to Gandhi are located near by. The memorial has the epitaph Hey Ram, (literally 'O' Ram', but also translated to 'O God'), believed to be the last words uttered by Gandhi. It is customary for foreign dignitaries visiting India to pay their respects to Gandhi at the Raj Ghat by laying flowers or wreaths on the platform. As a sign of respect, visitors are required to remove footwear before approaching the memorial. Prayer sessions are held at the Raj Ghat on Gandhi's birth and death anniversaries.
Raj Ghat means King Court (where King alludes to the importance of the place). Several other samadhis or cremation spots of other famous leaders can be found in the vicinity of Raj Ghat on the banks of the Yamuna. The landscaping and planting of these memorials was performed by Sydney Percy-Lancaster, the Secretary of the Agri Horticultural Society of India, and the last Englishman to hold the post of Superintendent of Horticultural Operations, Government of India. Source: wikipedia / wikitravel
