Shaheed Minar, Kolkata

Last updated

Shaheed Minar
Shahid Minar Kolkata Arnab Dutta 2011.jpg
The Shaheed Minar as seen from the Brigade Grounds
Shaheed Minar, Kolkata
Former namesOchterlony Monument
General information
StatusUsed as a monument and owned by the Government of West Bengal
Type Monument
Architectural styleFoundation based on: Egyptian,
Column of: Syrian,
Cupola of: Turkish
Location Kolkata Maidan
Address11, Rani Rashmoni Avenue
Town or city Kolkata, West Bengal
Country India
Coordinates 22°33′46″N88°20′57″E / 22.56286°N 88.34923°E / 22.56286; 88.34923
Construction started1825
Completed1828 [1]
Renovated2011–present
Owner Government of West Bengal
Height48 m (157 ft)
Design and construction
Other designersJ. P. Parker

The Shaheed Minar (English: Martyrs' Monument), formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument, is a monument in Kolkata that was erected in 1828 in memory of Major-general Sir David Ochterlony, commander of the British East India Company, to commemorate both his successful defense of Delhi against the Marathas in 1804 and the victory of the East India Company’s armed forces over the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War, also known as the Gurkha War. The monument was designed by J. P. Parker and paid for from public funds. [2]

Contents

On 9 August 1969, it was rededicated to the memory of the martyrs of the Indian freedom movement and renamed the "Shaheed Minar," which means "martyrs' monument" in both Bengali and Hindi, by the then United Front Government in memory of the martyrs of the Indian independence movement [ clarification needed ]. The present[ when? ] government has decided to illuminate the tower during evenings and allow visitors to the top. The last[ when? ] people to have been up there were former governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and his family. [2] [3] [4]

Features

An old depiction of Shaheed Minar (visible at right) Shaheed Minar - Old Photo of Shaheed Minar (right).jpg
An old depiction of Shaheed Minar (visible at right)

Known as the "Cloud kissing Monument" by Mark Twain, the Shaheed Minar is located at Esplanade in Central Kolkata in the north-east facet of the Maidan. The tower is 48 metres (157 ft) high. It has a foundation based on the Egyptian style. [5] The column is a combination of styles with a classical fluted column, a Syrian upper portion, and a Turkish dome. [5] It has two balconies at the top. The top floor of the minar is accessible by a serpentine staircase, a total of 223 steps. [2] [4] [5] It has a total of 218 steps until the top of the tower. [5] [6]

View of the Shaheed Minar Maidan Kolkata Sahid Minar 2.jpg
View of the Shaheed Minar Maidan

The monument was erected by Burn & Company. [7]

Shaheed Minar Maidan

The vast field to the south of Shaheed Minar, is known as the Shaheed Minar Maidan or the Brigade Ground. It has a history of being the site of political rallies and fairs. [5] The first political meeting on the ground was presided over by Rabindranath Tagore to condemn the killing of a youth in Hijli by the British in 1931. [4] [5] The central bus terminus of the city is around[ clarification needed ] the monument. [2]

Public use

In 1997, a tourist jumped off the lower balcony of the monument. [5] Since then, police permission is required to climb the steps of the monument. [5] Local residents must submit proof of address and a photo ID at the Lalbazar Police Headquarters, while out-of-town tourists must submit documents from their hotel, and foreigners must submit a copy of their passport. [5]

The monument offers a bird's-eye view of the city. [5] The government has planned to open the monument to the public, after the renovation work is completed. The renovation work was started in late 2011 and will be completed in two phases. The first phase was scheduled to be completed by June 15, 2012, and is said to cost about 50 lakhs. [5] There are also plans to illuminate the monument, both from inside and outside, and to give the monument a fresh coat of paint. In the second phase a temporary folding stage will be set up at the foot of the 48-metre (157 ft) tall monument [5] to avoid congestion at the Dorina Crossing during rallies.

After the work is completed, both tourists and locals will have access to the top of the monument. Stalls selling souvenirs will also be set up just in front of the monument, while the pathways leading to it will be cleaned and decorated with flowering plants. [5]

Related Research Articles

The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, India. It is one of the most visited tourist spots in the city, mostly built between 1199 and 1220.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhaka Medical College and Hospital</span> Medical College and Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. It houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaheed Minar, Dhaka</span> Monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The Shaheed Minar is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Bengali Language Movement demonstrations of 1952 in then East Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolkata Metro</span> Rapid transit system in Kolkata, India

The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata and the wider Kolkata Metropolitan Region in West Bengal, India. It is the first operational rapid transit system in India, and the second busiest metro network in India. As of January 2023 it has three operational lines: a 31.36 km (19.49 mi) line from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash, a 9.1 km (5.7 mi) line from Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah, and a 6.5 km (4.0 mi) line from Joka to Taratala, for a total of 47.85 km (29.73 mi). Three other lines are in various phases of construction. The system has a mix of underground, at-grade and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge tracks. Trains operate between 06:55 and 22:30 IST and the fares range from ₹5 to ₹25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maidan (Kolkata)</span> Urban green space in Kolkata, India

Maidan is a large urban area containing vast urban green space, parks, playgrounds and several public venues in the center of Kolkata, India. The area is spread over a total area of 1283 Acres. The urban green space of Maidan, which compromises an area of around 400 acres, is the largest urban park and urban green space in Kolkata city and second largest in the Kolkata metropolitan area as well as in India. Prior to 2013, before the creation of Eco Park it was the largest urban park in India. Its vast stretch of field that includes numerous sporting grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadiums and the Kolkata Race Course.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esplanade, Kolkata</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Esplanade is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. This is not a conventional esplanade in the sense that the place is not exactly situated alongside a waterbody. However, the Ganga river (Ganges), also known as Hooghly river, flows nearby.

Chowringhee Road, located in the Chowringhee neighbourhood of Kolkata, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road, in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata. It was officially renamed as Jawaharlal Nehru Road after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, but the original name Chowringhee Road is used commonly.

Shaheed Minar may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B. B. D. Bagh</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Binoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh, shortened as B. B. D. Bagh, formerly called Tank Square and then Dalhousie Square, is the administrative, financial and commercial region and one of the central business districts of Kolkata, capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the seat of Government of West Bengal and houses all three branches of it. The area consists Writers' Building, the official state secretariat building, Raj Bhavan, the residence of Governor of West Bengal, Vidhansabha Bhavan, the building housing the West Bengal Legislative Assembly and also the Calcutta High Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chowringhee</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Chowringhee is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Chowringhee Road runs on its western side. A neighbourhood steeped in history, it is a business district, as well as a shopper's destination and entertainment-hotel centre. The area lies exactly at the centre of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artistic depictions of the Bengali Language Movement</span>

The Bengali Language Movement was a political effort in East Pakistan that advocated the adoption of Bengali as an official language. The movement faced violent opposition by the government before finally succeeding. Numerous songs, poems, novels and plays were written to commemorate the movement, as well as films and memoirs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Memorial, Kolkata</span> Memorial-museum in Kolkata, West Bengal, India

The Victoria Memorial is a large marble monument dedicated to Queen Victoria, the Empress of India (1876-1901) facing the Queens Way on the Maidan in Central Kolkata. It was built between 1906 and 1921 by the British Raj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altab Ali Park</span> Small park in London, England

Altab Ali Park is a small park on the Whitechapel Road, in Whitechapel, London. Formerly known as St Mary's Park, it is the site of the old 14th-century, once whitewashed church, St Mary Matfelon, from which Whitechapel gets its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolkata Metro Line 2</span> Transit line in Kolkata, India

Kolkata Metro Line 2, also known as the East-West Metro and Green Line, is a rapid transit line of the Kolkata Metro in the Indian state of West Bengal. It currently consists of an operational section between Salt Lake and Sealdah, and will eventually connect Howrah by going underneath the Hooghly River, with an eastern extension also planned for Teghoria. It would consist of 17 stations from Teghoria (Haldiram) in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west, of which 11 would be elevated and 6 would be underground, with a total distance of 22 km (14 mi). It is expected to derive a very high ridership since it will connect India's two largest commuter railway and long-distance railway terminals (Howrah and along with two of its largest business districts. It will also be connecting the industrial hub of Kolkata i.e. Howrah and the IT hub of Kolkata i.e. Sector 5. Line 2 has India's biggest underwater metro tunnel along with the deepest metro shaft. In the deepest metro shaft, Howrah metro station will be the deepest metro station in India, which will be 33 meters deep. The first phase between Salt Lake Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated by Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on 13 February 2020 and commercial services started from 14 February 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Building (Kolkata)</span> Building in Kolkata, India

Metropolitan Building is the number 46.26 building on Chowringhee Road in Kolkata near Esplanade. Formerly known as the Whiteway Laidlaw department store, it was a famous department store in Calcutta during the British Rule in India. This neo-baroque emporium—with domes, a clock tower and arched recessed windows—exemplifies fashionable shopping during the British Raj in British India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pritilata Waddedar</span> Bengali revolutionary (1911-1932)

Pritilata Waddedar was an Indian revolutionary nationalist from the Indian subcontinent who was influential in the Indian independence movement. After completing her education in Chattogram and Dhaka, she attended Bethune College in Kolkata. She graduated in philosophy with distinction and became a school teacher. She is praised as "Bengal's first woman martyr".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lascar War Memorial</span> Monument in West Bengal, India

The Lascar War Memorial, located on Napier Road in the Hastings area of Kolkata, is a memorial dedicated to the memory of the 896 lascars who died serving on ships of the Royal Navy and British Merchant Service during World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East West Metro Tunnel</span> First underwater metro tunnel in India

East West Metro Tunnel is a constructed underwater river tunnel of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal. The river tunnel is constructed underneath Hooghly River. It is the biggest underwater river tunnel of India, which is made for metro rail service. The East West Metro Tunnel length is 10.8 km (6.7 mi) and width is 5.5 metres. A 520 m stretch of the tracks will go through a tunnel under the Hooghly River. The roof of the tunnel would be about 30 metres from the ground level. The tunnel was completed in 2021. The tunnel is used by East West Metro Line for metro rail service and constructed by Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esplanade Mansions, Kolkata</span> Jewish mansion in Kolkata, India

The Esplanade Mansions is a heritage building located in the Indian city of Kolkata, on the Esplanade Row and Marx Engels Beethi Road crossing, opposite to the Raj Bhavan. It was one of the buildings owned by Jewish businessman David Elias Ezra. The residential building was built in the Art Nouveau architecture style. Today it is owned by Life Insurance Corporation and houses commercial, railways and other government offices.

References

  1. A brief history of the Shaheed Minar of Kolkata theculturetrip.com. Retrieved 20 July 2021
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Heritage Tour: Shaheed Minar". Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. Renovation of the minar proposed on 5 September 2011 by INTACH, who took it from the Indian Express Archived 17 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. 1 2 3 "Kolkata.org: Shaheed Minar". 1 January 1970. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "The London Eye of Calcutta". Archived from the original on 19 May 2012.
  6. The Shahid Minar in Kolkata
  7. "Martin Burn Ltd". Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.