Portblair
Introduction:
In 1789, Captain Archibald Blair of the Bombay Marine (the
East India Company's Navy), acting under orders from the government
of Bengal, established a penal colony on this site, naming
it Port Cornwallis in honor of his commander,
Admiral Sir William Cornwallis. In 1858, the first European
settlement on the islands was established near the site of
the old penal colony, and was named Port Blair in honor of
Captain Blair. Portblair - The capital of the 350 odd islands
of Andaman and Nicobar, Port Blair is located at about 1,200
km from Kolkata and Chennai. The superb beaches and fascinating
marine life on the reefs coupled with the opportunities you
get for water sports, bird watching of fishing makes Port
Blair one of the most interesting and enchanting tourist destinations
in the country. It was in 1789 that Captain Archibald Blair
of the Bombay Marine (the East India Company’s Navy) established
a penal colony on this site, naming it Port Cornwallis. The
first European settlement on the islands was established in
1858 near the site of the old penal colony. The colony was
named Port Blair in honour of Captain Blair. The islands Andaman
and Nicobar are home to some of the oldest tribal communities
in the world. Though most of the tribes out here have modernized
some of them still continue to exist in the ‘primitive’ stage
and are hostile to outside interference. Port Blair, the capital
of the 350 odd islands that comprise the Andaman and Nicobar
group, has one major landmark-the Cellular Jail. A pipal tree,
just outside this seven-winged national monument, can tell
tales of the torture of India's freedom fighters within its
walls. In 1897, the British, who then ruled India, laid the
foundation stone of the building. It had 698 solitary cells
to ensure that there was no contact between prisoners. Only
three of the seven octopus-like wings remain and as you walk
down their corridor, Places of Interest Zoological Park. The
Zoological Park and Mini Zoo has some unique collection of
zoological species rarely found anywhere in the world. It
has more than 200 species of animals including the Nicobar
pigeon and Andaman pig. The salt-water crocodile-breeding
programme also attracts attention for its uniqueness and success.
Most of the crocodiles bred here are freed in the wild waters
of the forest
Cellular Jail
One of the major landmarks in Port Blair is the Cellular Jail,
a three-storey prison constructed by British in 1906. It was
originally built by the British to house dangerous criminals
but was subsequently used to house Indian freedom fighters
as prisoners. The massive edifice bears witness to the inhuman
atrocities inflicted upon the inmates of the prison by the
British. The prison had 698 solitary cells to ensure that
there was no contact between prisoners. Today, just three
of the original seven wings of the building have remained.
Moving around you get to see the photographs and lists of
the 'convicts' held, a death house, and the gallows that give
an impression of the plight of prisoners here in the early
twentieth century. Besides the Museum and the Art Gallery,
you can also witness the Sound and Light Show, both in English
and Hindi. |
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