Shaheed Minar, Kolkata

Shaheed Minar
The Shaheed Minar as seen from the Brigade Grounds
Map
Former namesOchterlony Monument
General information
StatusUsed as a monument and owned by the Government of West Bengal
TypeMonument
Architectural styleFoundation based on: Egyptian,
Column of: Syrian,
Cupola of: Turkish
LocationKolkata Maidan
Address11, Rani Rashmoni Avenue
Town or cityKolkata, West Bengal
CountryIndia
Coordinates22°33′46″N 88°20′57″E / 22.56286°N 88.34923°E / 22.56286; 88.34923
Construction started1825
Completed1828[1]
Renovated2011–present
OwnerGovernment of West Bengal
Height48 m (157 ft)
Design and construction
Other designersJ. P. Parker

The Shaheed Minar (English: Martyrs' Monument), formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument, is a monument in Kolkata that was erected in 1828 in memory of Major-general Sir David Ochterlony, commander of the British East India Company, to commemorate both his successful defense of Delhi against the Marathas in 1804 and the victory of the East India Company’s armed forces over the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War, also known as the Gurkha War. The monument was designed by J. P. Parker and paid for from public funds.[2]

On 9 August 1969, it was rededicated to the memory of the martyrs of the Indian freedom movement and renamed the "Shaheed Minar," which means "martyrs' monument" in both Bengali and Hindi, by the then United Front Government in memory of the martyrs of the Indian independence movement[clarification needed]. The present[when?] government has decided to illuminate the tower during evenings and allow visitors to the top. The last[when?] people to have been up there were former governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and his family.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ A brief history of the Shaheed Minar of Kolkata theculturetrip.com. Retrieved 20 July 2021
  2. ^ a b "Heritage Tour: Shaheed Minar". Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 10 March 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ Renovation of the minar proposed on 5 September 2011 by INTACH, who took it from the Indian Express Archived 17 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Kolkata.org: Shaheed Minar". 1 January 1970. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.