Raja Rao’s fictional text Kanthapura is analysed in relation to Walter Benjamin’s concept of aura. Benjamin develops the concept of aura as a ‘halo’ which envelops a person or object of perception and emphasizes the uniqueness of that person or object of perception. He conceives the aura as s omething inherent but he also links it to human perception. He also relates it to a unique moment in time and space. The Mahatma’s aura, generated by his unique presence in time and space, was the most influential factor in the national movement and the no vel testifies to this. The fictional village of Kanthapura undergoes unprecedented transformation under the influence of Gandhian aura. Gandhism, as propagated by Moorthy , led to the incorporation of people belonging to all sections in the society , in the national movement. The new historicist method is used to study the nature and impact of Gandhian aura in the village. The fictional text is read in parallel with the texts which pertain to the social and historical events of the day and also those dealing with the real events in Gandhi’s life, detailed in his biographies. In the unique context of freedom movement, which has led to the enhancement of Gandhian aura as a unifying factor in the multifaceted Indian society , Gandhism becomes hegemonic. There is an attempt in the novel to subvert the hegemony of Gandhism in the form of Nehruvian socialism, but it is short lived and ultimately the dominant status of Gandhism is reasserted