10 Things you don’t know about the Cellular Jail (Kalapani)
- It is located at Port Blair in the Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. It was constructed by the British Government during 1896 to 1906.
- The Jail once served a colonial prison and was also known as Kaala Paani or ‘black water jail.’ The jail was called Kaala Paani because all around the jail was sea and hence no prisoner could hope to escape.
- Cellular Jail was especially used by the British to exile political prisoners to the remote archipelago, during the struggle for Indian Independence.
- Many notable freedom fighters of the great Indian freedom movement such as Batukeshwar Dutt and the renowned Veer Savarkar, were imprisoned here during that time.
- It was taken over by Japanese troops in 1942 during WW II, and in a surprise turn, saw many British troops as inmates.
- The Cellular Jail tells the story of infamous cruelty meted out to Indian political prisoners by Britishers. The prisoners were made to labor under extreme vagaries of nature without food and water.
- The Cellular Jail used to be one of the biggest jails in Asia. Today this place is a famous national monument.
- The main attraction of this place is its museum, that exhibits the prison life and hardships faced by great Indian political prisoners.
- You can also see the sound and light show that narrates the historical events regarding this place.
- Cellular Jail is one of the darkest chapters in Indian history during the British colonial rule.
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