Fodor's Expert Review Raj Ghat

After Mahatma Gandhi was shot and killed by a Hindu fanatic on January 30, 1948, his body was cremated on the banks of the Yamuna River; the site is now a national shrine called Raj Ghat, where tourists and pilgrims stream across the peaceful lawn to pay their respects to the saintlike "Father of the Nation." At the center of a large courtyard is a raised slab of black marble adorned with flowers and inscribed with Gandhi's final words, "Hai Ram!" (Oh, God!). An eternal flame burns at its head. The sandstone walls enclosing the shrine are inscribed with passages written by Gandhi, translated into several tongues including Tamil, Malayalam, Nepali, Urdu, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese. Near Raj Ghat are the cremation sites of other leaders, including two other assassinated heads of state, Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv (no relation to Mohandas).