World leaders walked barefoot through puddles on Sunday to pay their respects to revered Indian independence hero Mahatma Gandhi, after monsoon downpours dampened Prime Minister Narendra Modi's set-piece G20 programme.

Modi welcomed his guests to the site where the apostle of non-violence was cremated in January 1948, the day after he was gunned down by a Hindu nationalist ideologue.

US President Joe Biden was among several visiting heads of state to opt for felt slippers instead of going unshod at the site, where normal footwear is forbidden as a mark of respect.

Others including British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron joined Modi in shedding their socks and shoes on the walk to the marble plinth where an eternal flame commemorates Gandhi's memory.

After a rendition of a Hindu devotional hymn, they stood for a moment's silence before leaving wreaths to honour the peace icon.

 

Narendra Modi (centre) and world leaders pay respects at the Mahatma Gandhi memorial at Raj Ghat. AFP

Arriving leaders bowed before Modi as he hung shawls around their necks in front of a photograph of Sabarmati Ashram, a long-term residence of Gandhi's in the prime minister's home state of Gujarat.

The ashram is a popular spot on the itinerary of visiting world leaders, with Modi using it to host, among others, his former British counterpart Boris Johnson, and former US president Donald Trump and his wife and Melania.

Agence France-Presse