First Mahatma Gandhi statue in North Dakota unveiled at Bismarck’s Peace Park.
The unveiling took place during the month of Gandhi Jayanti , observed worldwide on October 2 as the International Day of Non-Violence. Located at 400 East Front Avenue in downtown Bismarck, Peace Park was developed shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Visits by the Consul General to North Dakota in 2024 and 2026 included meetings with the governor, the mayor of Bismarck and leaders from the agriculture, business and education sectors, according to the consulate. Along with the statue installed at Bellevue Public Library in October 2009, the Bismarck monument is the fifth Mahatma Gandhi statue within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of India in Seattle, the press release said.
The statue was installed with the assistance of the Consulate General of India in Seattle, with technical support from the Indian American community in North Dakota and the North Dakota Trade Office, the consulate said in a press release. He said Gandhi’s message resonated not only with India and the rest of the world but also with people in North Dakota. The first life-size statue of Mahatma Gandhi in North Dakota was unveiled at Peace Park in downtown Bismarck, the state’s capital, in a ceremony attended by the state’s first lady Kjersti Armstrong and agriculture commissioner Doug Goehring. The unveiling ceremony began with the national anthems of India and the United States, followed by musical renditions of Gandhi’s favourite hymns by school students from North Dakota. Officials from the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District and members of the Indian American community also attended the event. It also marked the year of Gandhi’s 157th birth anniversary. Addressing the gathering, North Dakota agriculture commissioner Doug Goehring highlighted the growing friendship between India and North Dakota. Goehring described the statue as a symbol of peace and non-violence and recalled Gandhi’s timeless message. It is also home to a Peace Pole installed by the Gandhi Peace Network of North Dakota, along with other bronze sculptural artefacts. The Gandhi statue joins these installations, adding to the public art heritage of North Dakota’s capital city. The consulate described Gandhi’s life and message as universal symbols of peace and non-violence. The installation also comes amid growing engagement between India and North Dakota since the establishment of the Consulate General of India in Seattle. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.
North Dakota first lady Kjersti Armstrong expressed her admiration for Gandhi, saying it was an honour to celebrate his legacy, which she described as being more important today than it had been in a very long time.
The consulate has also organised cultural and consular outreach programmes in Fargo, including the International Day of Yoga 2026 and a consular camp in February 2026. Earlier statues were installed at the base of the Space Needle in Seattle in October 2024, at the State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska, in December 2024, and at the Mansfield Center at the University of Montana in Missoula in March 2026. The Bismarck installation is the latest addition to the Consulate General of India’s initiative to establish Gandhi monuments across the US Pacific North and Midwest.
Senior delegates from the North Dakota Trade Office also visited India earlier this year as part of ongoing exchanges between the two sides.