Independence Day 2023: As India gears up to celebrate its 77th Independence Day on August 15, we need to remember that like people, places too played an important role in the freedom struggle. Today our leaders are gone but the landmarks that witnessed the struggle stand tall.
Whether it was the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar, the Satyagraha movement in Champaran or the Revolt of 1857 in West Bengal’s Barrackpore, places have always held importance to people breaking the torturous chains of colonial rule.
Let us take a walk down memory lane to understand the importantance of iconic places and monuments to India’s freedom movement.
Barrackpore, West Bengal
Barrackpore town in West Bengal is believed to be the first cantonment of the British East India Company. This place has seen not one but two mutinies during the freedom struggle. Interestingly, Barrackpore got its name from the first barrack established by the British here. Interestingly, Barrackpore got its name from the first barrack established by the British here.
The first mutiny, also known as the Barrackpore Mutiny of 1824, took place during the first Anglo-Burmese war. But the town became synonymous with the freedom struggle after sepoy Mangal Pandey attacked British officers leading to the Revolt of 1857 or the Sepoy Mutiny. The reason behind the revolt was the introduction of a new cartridge for rifles that was believed to be greased with the fat of cows and pigs and had to be torn open with the mouth. The reason behind the revolt was the introduction of a new cartridge for rifles that was believed to be greased with the fat of cows and pigs and had to be torn open with the mouth.
Red Fort, Delhi
The UNESCO World Heritage Site has borne witness to India’s Independence Day clebrations. It was a symbol of power even before the freedom struggle and was associated with power during the Mughal era. As the British influence grew in the region in the early 19th century leading to the rebellion of 1857, Red Fort started getting recognised as a symbol of the resistance to the Western forces.
Despite presenting a strong fight to the invaders, the rebellion could not last long as the emperor was exiled to Rangoon (now Yangon) and rebels were blown up with cannons or shot to death. In its aftermath, the British soldiers took it out on Red Fort by destroying two-third parts of its inner structure. Red Fort still stands as a custodian of the memories of hundreds of rebels who dared to defend the motherland.
Jallianwala Bagh, Punjab
Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab’s Amritsar district witnessed one of the most horrific incidents related to the freedom movement.
A large crowd had gathered at Amritsar’s Jallianwala Bagh to protest against the Rowlatt Act and the arrest of pro-independence activists Dr. Saifuddin Kitchlew and Dr. Satya Pal on the fateful day of 13 July 1919. The day is still remembered as one of the darkest days in Indian history as hundreds of protestors were shot at under the command of Brigadier General R E H Dyer. An estimate puts the number of people dead at 1,500, while an almost equal number of people are believed to be fatally injured.
Today Jallianwala Bagh has achieved the status of a pilgrimage with thousands of people paying hommage to the place every year. India has long demanded that Britain should apologise for the massacre. However, none have been issued even after more than a hundred years of the despicable act.
Cellular Jail, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The Cellular Jail, better known as Kaala Paani, at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands consisted of a series of isolated cells that imprisoned freedom fighters who participated in the freedom struggle.
The prison, constructed in 1906, saw freedom fighters like Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Batukeshwar Dutt, Diwan Singh Kalepani, Yogendra Shukla, among others being imprisoned here. The complex today serves as a national memorial monument.
Dandi, Gujarat
Mahatma Gandhi decided to use the weapon of non-violence in civil disobedience against the British government’s infamous salt tax. Gandhi broke the slat tax by picking up salt at Dandi leading to large scale acts of civil disobedience across the country in which millions of people were involved. The Dandi march and Gandhi’s subsequent arrest caught international attention through extensive news coverage.
Jhansi Fort, Uttar Pradesh
The Jhansi Fort played a very important role during the Revolt of 1857, where Indian forces fought with the British troops. When the revolt broke out in Meerut, Rani Lakshmi Bai was ruling over Jhansi as regent for her minor son.
She decided to fight the British when Jhansi was besieged under the command of Hugh Rose. Lakshmi Bai fought valiantly for two weeks along with her army of men and women.
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