Some of the most prized possessions of Indian history, including Mahatma Gandhi’s round-rimmed glasses, his spinning wheel or 'charkha', a pinch of soil and blades of grass from the place where he was assassinated in 1948 will be auctioned in Mullock's auction house in Ludlow, Shropshire on April 17.

The auction is expected to rake in about 100,000 pounds.

The soil and blades of grass were collected by one P P Nambiar, who describes the samples in a letter of provenance as, '... has today received the most sacred of all relics a fraction of the pinch of soil I collected on 30 January 1948 from the spot where the Father of our nation M K Gandhi fell to the bullets of his assassin...'".

Mullock's says that the item also includes a copy of 'True but never heard before' by P P Nambiar, which is a personal account of collecting the soil sample on the day Gandhi was murdered.

Nambiar says in the piece: '... in my search I found a drop of blood on the grass almost dried. I cut the grass and also took two pinches of soil from the brink of the pothole which I wrapped in a piece of Hindi newspaper found nearby. This is in my box even today. I keep it in a jewellery box brought by me from Indo-China in a later year. To me it is a treasure of immense sentimental value...'.

The trademark glasses worn by Gandhi were bought in London around 1890 when he studied Law.

Reports said, the item is described as "corroded with age", and comes with the original felt bearing the name of H Cannam Optician 23 St Aldate Street Gloucester.

The spinning wheel, where he spun ‘khadi’, is described as being in an 'as used' condition but still retaining its inner mechanism.

Other items include a 10inch 78rpm Columbia disc of Gandhi giving his spiritual message signed by him, original photographs of Gandhi visiting London in 1931, and letters written to Raghavan, Sgt NER Poduwal in Rangoon, letters written by Gandhi in Gujarati and a prayer book in Gujarati.