Location / importance / history / torture / temperature / weather / nearest town / travel / tourism /
photography / guide / tips / photo gallery of Cellular Jail / Wandoor, Port Blair
Cellular Jail, at the present recognized as the National Museum is a witness
to the Freedom Movement of India at Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A major
historical feature in Andaman, it overlooks the sea from a hill north eastern
part of the Port Blair town center. Primarily, it was erected by the British to
house hazardous criminals. But, afterward, thousands of freedom fighters were imprisoned
and tortured here, during the British and Japanese rule. Many prisoners died at
this place.
The nationalist prisoners were brought to this jail on March 10, 1858. Afterward
in 1872, the British transformed it into a cellular one subsequent to the
assassination of Lord Mayo by a convict and named it as Kalapani. Convicts
were sent to these islands and locked up in the Cellular Jail. Numerous
political prisoners and revolutionaries were held as prisoner here for the
duration of the freedom struggle. The prisoners were not permitted to converse
with their friends and relatives on the mainland excepting one time in a year. Even
the letters and newspapers under subscription by the prisoners were censored prior
to handing to them. Whilst fighting against this dictatorship a number of
political leaders had to lay down their lives and lots of prisoners had gone
insane in the Jail and ended their life by committing of suicide.
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