Image: Kirti Mandir, Porbandar. Wikimedia Commons.
Mahatma Gandhi was born on 2 October 1869 in Porbandar, a coastal town in present-day Gujarat. His childhood was spent in a Vaishnava family environment that included strong religious and ethical influences.
Gandhi’s family
His father, Karamchand Gandhi, served as a senior administrator in princely states. His mother, Putlibai, was deeply religious, and Gandhi later recalled the influence of her fasting and devotional practices.
School years in Rajkot
Gandhi’s family moved to Rajkot, where he continued his schooling. His early education was conventional, but his later autobiography records several childhood experiences that he interpreted as moral lessons.
Religious influences
Gandhi grew up around Vaishnavism and Jain traditions. He later encountered Christianity, Islam and other religious traditions and developed a lifelong interest in comparative religion.
The importance of his childhood memoir
Gandhi described his early years in The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Because it is a first-person memoir, it is useful but should be read alongside independent historical sources.
Explore primary material through the Gandhi Heritage Portal and NewsNationOnline’s Gandhi autobiography feature.
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