Tilwara Ghat

About Tilwara Ghat

Tilwara Ghat matters for what happened on it rather than for what stands there. This is where Mahatma Gandhi's ashes were immersed in the Narmada, carried out by Beohar Rajendra Simha together with Pandit Ravishankar Shukla, Laxman Singh Chauhan, Seth Govindas, Dwarka Prasad Mishra and others. The same ghat was the venue of the open session of the Tripuri Congress in 1939, one of the more consequential sessions in the history of the Indian National Congress.

For a visitor from Jabalpur the ghat is a short, serious stop rather than a sightseeing one. It is an ordinary working river bank, and the reason to stand on it is the knowledge of what took place there.

What stands here

The immersion site

The stretch of the Narmada where Gandhi's ashes were immersed, in the presence of Beohar Rajendra Simha, Pandit Ravishankar Shukla, Seth Govindas, Dwarka Prasad Mishra and others.

The Tripuri Congress ground

The open session of the Tripuri Congress was held here in 1939. Standing on the ground is the substance of the visit, since the gathering itself left no permanent structure.

The river bank

Tilwara is a working ghat on the Narmada and carries on as one, with the ordinary activity of a river bank going on around the historical associations.

Planning your visit

Half an hour is enough. It is best treated as a stop on the way to or from the Narmada sites further out from the city.

• Combine it with Lametha Ghat, which is reached by the same Tilwara bypass route.
• Approach it as a memorial site and keep conduct and dress appropriate.
• Do not expect interpretation boards or a visitor centre; the value is in the place.

Best time to visit

October to March is the comfortable season for anything on the Narmada bank, and mornings are quietest. During the monsoon the river runs high and the ghat steps can be wet and slippery. Gandhi anniversaries bring commemorative gatherings here, which some visitors will want to see and others will want to avoid.