Raja's Seat, Madikeri

Raja's Seat, the 'seat of the king', stands in the middle of a garden called Gandhi Mantap in Madikeri, Kodagu, about 270 km from Bangalore. It is a brick and mortar structure of four pillars joined by arches, built on high ground looking west over cliffs and valleys. The kings and queens of Kodagu, who ruled from 1600 to 1834, came here for recreation, and the garden, known for its scenery, has been tied to them ever since.

Every year on 30 January, Sarvodaya Diwas or Martyrs' Day, a procession carries an urn of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes to Raja's Seat, followed by readings from the Bhagavad Gita, the Quran and the Bible, bhajans, floral tributes and a few minutes of silence.