The metal bowl, wooden fork and two wooden spoons used by Mahatma Gandhi when he was imprisoned by the British are to go under the hammer.

The utensils were used daily by Gandhi when incarcerated at the Aga Khan Palace in Pune, India, between 1942 and 1944.

The British authorities imprisoned him following his Quit India speech in August 1942, in which he urged India to seek independence through passive resistance.

The item has superb provenance and originally comes from the collection of Gandhi's close friend Sumati Morarjee.

When Gandhi was released in May 1944, he went immediately to Morarjee's house in Mumbai, taking the bowl and utensils with him.

They are being sold in an online auction run by Bristol-based Paul Fraser Collectibles. There is a starting bid of £22,900 and no reserve in place.

Daniel Wade, of the auction house, said: "The wonder of these items isn't just that Gandhi held them and used them, it's that he did so during one of the most important periods of his life and in the history of India.

"Victory is close for Gandhi when he uses these, because after his release in 1944, India wins independence just three years later.

"Gandhi had so few possessions that historically important artefacts such as this rarely come up for sale."

The online auction runs until September 29.