Located at the solitary island of India, "Cellular Jail" is the symbol of dark history of the British Rule in Indian subcontinent. The Cellular Jail, also known as "Kala Pani"/"Black Water" ("Kala" means death and "Pani" means water) was a colonial prison in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands was used by the British to exile political prisoners. Isolated from the mainland and located in the middle of the ocean, this place was ideal to send Indian political prisoners during the struggle of India's struggle for independence.
After the independence, this jail is open for public attraction and the museums give the glimpse of India's struggle under the British rule. It is located in the Port Blair, the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Island; which is well connected with many cities of mainland of India by air and sea.
Entrance of the Cellular Jail
History
It took 10 years for British government to build the Cellular Jail. Though it was built between the period of 1896 and 1906, but it was proposed after the "Sepoy Mutiny". During the British rule, the rebels who were caught by the British government, were exiled here. Rebels with huge numbers used to send here under the custody of Jailor David Barry and milittary Dr. Major James Pattison Walker. The prisoners used to be chained up and forced to work for the construction of the prison, harbor, buildings. In the year of March,1868; 238 prisoners who tried to escape the prison were caught and 87 of them were hanged.
In the year of 1942, during World War-II; Japanese overpowered British in the islands and drive them out of the islands. But after the end of World War-II, British government regained the control of the island.
Memorial of India's First Independence Fight
Architecture
The original building was made of pule coloured bricks, which were brought from Burma. The Cellular Jail is shaped like bicycle wheel, which has total seven wings. And all of the wings were connected with a central watchtower, from where guards can keep an eye on the inmates. A large bell was kept in the tower to raise an alarm. Each of the seven wings has three stories. There was total 696 cells and each of the cells were isolated from each other, which prevented the prisoners from communication with each other. Each cell was 14.8 ft x 8.9 ft. Also, the spokes of the cells were made like such a way, that the face of a cell spoke faces the back of the another cell. The name Cellular derived from the solitariness of the cells.
Model of the Architecture of Cellular Jail
Wings are connected with Watch Tower
Cellular Jail Balcony
Life of the Prisoners in Cellular Jail
Prisoners in the Cellular Jail were chained up and forced to work in the construction. They used to chained up like Cross Bar Fetters, Bar Fetters or Chain Fetters. You can also find the symbol of torture to the prisoners from the models placed in and outside of the jail.
They were forced to make themselves involved in "KOLHU". It was the most difficult and hardest process for oil grinding. The prisoners were yoked to the handle of the mill and they used to move around it continuously. If they were unwilling or unaware to move fast, they were forcibly tied with the handle and dragged round and round the ground.
Some famous inmates of the Cellular Jail were Batukeshwar Dutt, Diwan Singh Kalepani,Yogendra Shukla, Shadan Chandra Chatterjee, Maulana Ahmadullah, Vaman Rao Joshi and many more.
List of the prisoners in Cellular Jail from Bengal
After India achieved independence, two wings of the jail were demolished. But, in 1979 it was converted into "National Memorial House". It consists of the photos and galleries of freedom fighters in the ground floor and a art gallery of Netaji on the first floor. It regularly holds the Light & Sound show on India's freedom fight in both Hindi & English.
Its history and architecture attracts many of the tourists year after year from all over the world. Few pictures from the Cellular Jail gallery are attached below:
Symbol of Torture in Cellular Jail
Model of the Cellular Jail
Locks and Keys which were used for the cells of Cellular Jail
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