Gandhi's personal effects, documents to be auctioned

An auction of Mahatma Gandhi's personal effects and documents will take place in Ludlow in the UK, later this month.
Included in the sale are articles which belonged to the father of the nation when he was recovering from illness at Juhu in 1924, and these include his personal prayerbeads, his shawl, made from linen thread he spun himself, his bed sheet, his personal bowl with fork and spoon, his personal drinking cup and even his personal ivory-carved 'Three Wise Monkeys'.
The sale takes place on May 21, during the next Mullock's Auction of important historical documents at Ludlow Racecourse in the English Midlands.

Also in the sale is Gandhi's will and power of attorney which he wrote in 1921, and a series of important letters.
One of these, written in 1937 settles a highly controversial dispute which was taking place within the Indian National Congress.
There are also original portraits�and photographs of Gandhi, some of which have been personally signed by him.

In addition to the items of Gandhian interest, the sale also features a wealth of documents, paintings and artifacts relating to India and the Punjab.
These include rare original photographs of Maharajah Duleep Singh, one of which shows him with the young Edward VII.

There is also a highly significant letter written by one of the first soldiers to arrive on the scene after the battle of Saragarhi, one of the most famous battles in Sikh history when 21 Sikh soldiers took on an Afghan army of 10,000.
Elsewhere in the sale are important Sikh paintings including a particularly fine painting of an Akali warrior with a lady companion.
There is also a creation of great Muslim interest being an 18th century painting of the footprints of the Holy Prophet.
"This is unquestionably one of the most important sales relating to Indian history to be staged in recent years," commented Mullock's Historical Documents Expert, Richard Westwood-Brookes.

"We are offering many highly important and unique items and we are expecting strong interest from around the world," he said.