Bápúdzsí halhatatlan története. A Gándhí-ikonográfia rétegei
Bapuji’s Immortal History. Layers of Gandhi Iconography

Summary/Abstract: This study examines how the well-known Gandhi image as a renouncer, a guru, depicted as a member of a deprived nation developed and how it was later invested with popular mythological content. As a starting point, a lithograph, published in 1948, is analyzed, which exploits the tradition of depicting Visnu avatars and displays all the essential iconographic elements of the new Gandhi image that emerged after the Mahatma’s death. Utilizing popular prints and photographs taken in Gandhi’s lifetime, stages of the new icon’s evolution are presented by the author. It is explained how the avatar image of popular Hindu religiosity, the consciously shaped political ideal of the Father of the Nation, and the parallel drawn with Christ’s martyrdom was harnessed to create the Gandhi icon of saintliness that shaped to a large extent Gandhi’s memory in popular Indian thought.

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