Mutiny Memorial Explained

The Mutiny Memorial, now known as Ajitgarh, is a memorial situated on the Ridge New Delhi.[1] [2] It was built in memory of all those who had fought in the Delhi Field Force, British and Indian, during the Indian Revolt of 1857.[3]

History

Erected by the Public Works Department at government expense in 1863, the memorial was hastily designed and constructed. It received much public criticism on completion. In 1972, the 25th anniversary of India's independence, the Indian government renamed the monument 'Ajitgarh' ('Place of the Unvanquished') and erected a plaque stating that the 'enemy' mentioned on the memorials were 'immortal martyrs for Indian freedom'.[4]

Architecture

The memorial was built in the Gothic style in red sandstone, with four tiers rising from an octagonal base. The lowest tier consists of seven faces containing memorial plaques and one face holding the stairs to the upper tiers.[5]

The memorial was built to be just taller than the Ashoka Pillar, which is situated away.[6]

Location

The Mutiny Memorial is located in front of Old Telegraph Building, Kashmiri Gate. You can enter into the memorial by the entrance gate opposite to Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, near to Delhi University campus in New Delhi.

References

  1. http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_alphalist.asp List of Monuments of National Importance
  2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/07/south_asia_indian_mutiny_/html/7.stm Mutiny Memorial
  3. News: Mutiny Memorial in true colours. https://web.archive.org/web/20131019111541/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-12/delhi/28303650_1_monument-intach-delhi-chapter-chemical-cleaning . dead . 19 October 2013 . The Times of India. 12 August 2010 . 25 August 2012.
  4. Llewellyn-Jones, R (2007) The Great Uprising in India, 1857–58:Untold Stories, Indian and British, Boydell & Brewer, P202-3
  5. Llewellyn-Jones, R (2007) The Great Uprising in India, 1857–58: Untold Stories, Indian and British, Boydell & Brewer, P202
  6. Morris J. Winchester, S (1983) Stones Of Empire: The Buildings of the Raj, Oxford University Press, P191

External links