Swaraj Bhawan Prayagraj

Earlier known as Anand Bhavan, the Swaraj Bhawan is the ancestral home of the Nehru Family and is also the place where the former and the only female Prime Minister of India - Late Indira Gandhi was born. In the early 19th century, the historical house was owned by Moti Lal Nehru. In the year 1930, he donated this huge mansion to the nation to be used as the headquarters of Congress Committee. Today, it serves as one of the prime tourist attractions in Prayagraj and houses the Jawahar Planetarium.

 Administered by Jawahar Lal Nehru Memorial Fund, this historic place to see in Prayagraj has now converted into a public museum. In total, there are 42 rooms. In the museum, you can expect to see various historic memorabilia, one of the most significant of them is the Charkha which was used by Mahatma Gandhi. The museum also includes personal belongings of Nehru family along with numerous photographs from the time of the Indian freedom movement. One of the key features of the architecture of this popular museum in Prayagraj is the underground room which is said to be used for the Congress meetings during that time.

History

This renowned historical site in Prayagraj was built on 20 acres of land which was owned by Shaikh Fayyaz Ali. In the year 1868, the foundation stone of this huge mansion was laid. By the year 1871, the construction of Swaraj Bhawan got completed. Before Anand Bhavan, the mansion was originally touted as Mahmud Manzil. It was basically constructed for an educationist and a Muslim leader - Syed Ahmad Khan. The name 'Mahmud Manzil' was kept after the son of Syed Ahmad Khan.

Later, the mansion also became the home of Syed Muhmad - the justice of Allahabad Court. However, after the death of Shaikh Fayyaz Ali in the year 1873, this property went into the administration of Allahabad courts of wards. In the year 1888, the house was sold by the government to the judge of Shahjahanpur - Rai Bahadur Permanand Pathak. From there, the house went into the state of dilapidation as a result of being vacant for a long period. Consequently, in the year 1900, it was then sold to Pandit Motilal Nehru who named it Anand Bhavan.