A journey to a dreamland town - once called the Kala Pani
Port Blair, that most of tourists like to visit, is the capital of Andaman and Nicobar Islands which is the part of Indian Union Territories. Port Blair, being the biggest town in the Andaman Islands, is the most fascinating and popular tourist place where many travelers come to visit whole year throughout the world. Once it was also known as the Kala Pani, has now become a modernized city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This development credit goes to its government and the administration. Their plan and effort has made the city a big tourist hub that attracts people from all over the world. There are many flights, that are made available by different airlines of India for travelers and government officials, take off from Kolkata and Chennai for Port Blair. Some tourists reach Port Blair by ship too.
In 1789 West Bengal government built a penal colony, which was named Port Blair, on Chatham Island, located in south-east bay of Great Andaman, to respect Lieutenant Archibald Blair of the British East India Company. Two years later, the colony was shifted to another place in the north-east part of Great Andaman and was named Port Cornwallis on the name of Admiral William Cornwallis. Unfortunately, in May 1796, government decided to stop operating the colony when many people were killed by disease.
In 1824, Port Cornwallis was the place where army fleet hold a meeting after the first Anglo-Burmese war started. Between 1830 and 1840, inhabitant of Andaman Island frequently attacked on destructed ship crews, which created alarming situation for the British government. In 1855, the government came with a proposal of another settlement together with establishment of a prison for convicts on the Island, but its construction was much delayed due to 1857 Indian Revolt.
In spite of that, construction of the prison started in November 1857 on urgent basis, because a large number of people arrested during the revolt. Originally, it was constructed on Viper Island, termed on the name of Lieutenant Blair’s vessel, The Viper. The convicts, mainly political prisoners, were not only sentenced to life imprisonment, but also they were humiliated by the British government. Most of them were hanged, while others were killed by disease and starvation.
Between 1896 and 1906, government built a large cellular Jail to house prisoner, mainly political prisoner, in lonely imprisonment since Indian freedom movement was growing continuously in the 19th century. Indian convicts were tortured brutally and humiliated in central jail, that’s why it is also called as the Kala Pani.
The airport, which was built at Port Blair, was named Veer Savarkar International Airport. The Historic Building and Monuments commission for England installed the commemorative blue plate on India House with inscription ‘Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, 1883-1966, Indian patriot, and philosopher lived here’.
The headquarter of Azad Hind Government, which was under the leadership of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, was located at Port Blair when Second World War was going on from 1943 to 1944.
Port Blair is also known as various popular names such as ‘Veritable Garden of Eden’ and ‘Heaven on the Earth’.
Your trip to Port Blair will not be complete if you forget to visit Rose Island. The sound and light show made the evening of Cellular Jail popular. You must also visit Havelock Islands, which located in the North-East of Port Blair. It seems that god created paradise on the earth for human beings.
Rose Island looks amazing.
Yes, it looks like heaven.