Rare Mahatma Gandhi handwritten notes sold for $1.69m at Mumbai auction

A rare collection of handwritten notes by Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi has been sold for $1.69m (£1.3m) at an auction in Mumbai city.

The notes, owned and preserved by the family of close associate and freedom fighter Anand T Hingorani, include 688 of Gandhi's handwritten messages on truth, non-violence and self-restraint written between 1944 and 1946.

Auction house Saffronart said the sale set a record for the highest price paid for an Indian historical document at an auction.

Gandhi led India's non-violent struggle against British rule and is fondly known as the father of the nation. But the notes offer a more personal glimpse of the man behind the political leader.

Gandhi wrote to Hingorani for around two years after the death of his wife, Vidya, offering him guidance, consolation and encouragement. The messages were later compiled in a book called, A Thought for the Day.

Dinesh Vazirani, co-founder of Saffronart, said the collection allowed people to see Gandhi "through the lens of a close, personal relationship".

The notes were the highlight of Saffronart's "86-lot" auction, titled Gandhi: From the Collection of Anand T Hingorani. The lot also included letters, manuscripts, photographs and personal objects preserved by the Hingorani family over generations.

The collection spans more than two decades, documenting key moments in India's independence struggle as well as Gandhi's friendship with Hingorani.

"These reflections offer a rare insight into how Gandhi lived the principles he advocated publicly, making this an especially valuable record of his thought and practice," Vazirani said in a statement.

Other items in the auction were Gandhi's notes on God and the Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita, his portable spinning wheel and two letters about the spiritual discipline of spinning.

Saffronart has not disclosed the buyer's identity but said the notes would remain in India.