Gandhi's death on January 30, 1948, at the hands of a fanatic Hindu in Delhi signaled an end to an era. To the thousands shown above who attended his funeral, the new fight ahead was to secure India's status as a modern, secular state. Though he was idolized for his role in the struggle for independence, Gandhi's own desire for an epitaph was characteristically modest: "The only virtue I want to claim is truth and non-violence. I lay no claim to superhuman powers. I want none."

PHOTO: MARGARET BOURKE-WHITE