Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
The Cellular Jail situated at the Atlanta point in Port Blair, capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, is one of the spots in India that have a lot of historical background in the context of the British rule.
The jail surrounded by kaala paani (black waters) hides the darkest secrets of torture, atrocities and hardships faced by the political prisoners during the time of British Raj. It is now a national memorial museum that is one of the most visited tourist spots in Port Blair.
Wrapping the agony, anger and pain of inmates behind the excellent architecture, this jail which earlier was the centre for life imprisonment is now looked upon with patriotic fervour by the Indian visitors. The heart breaking stories are somehow still alive in these wings. This national memorial still stands strong to sing to the melodies of freedom which we enjoy now without even realising the cost at which we got it in the first place. Our Indian activists and freedom fighters like Batuskheswar Dutt, Yogendra Shukla and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar were held captive in here during India’s freedom struggle.
Located around 4 kms from the Vir Savarkar airport this monument should be at the top of your checklist as it marks the whole archipelago as the torturous deserted islands where the prisoners once brought to could never see the face of the main Indian subcontinent.
The museum and the light and show at the Cellular jail make the visitors understand the painful past that this structure holds within itself.
Contact Information
Tourist Information Center, Directorate of IPT
Directorate of Tourism, Andaman & Nicobar Administration, Port Blair - 744101
03192 – 232694
03192 – 232747 / 230933