PoliticsNational and Dravidian movements
Gandhi adopts the loincloth at Madurai
· Madurai

During a tour of the Madras Presidency, Mahatma Gandhi gave up his full attire and began wearing only a loincloth at Madurai.
While travelling through Tamil areas during the Non-cooperation Movement, Mahatma Gandhi decided at Madurai to wear only a simple loincloth. He said he wished to identify with the poor who could not afford more clothing. The decision became a lasting symbol of his politics. The Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai later preserved items associated with him.

