The Ochterlony Monument, Kolkata, West Bengal India

Standing Tall On the north-eastern quadrant of the Maidan, facing Esplanade East, stands tall the Ochterlony Monument which, for decades has been amongst the most prominent landmarks in the city. It was erected in honour of a distinguished soldier, Major General Sir David Ochterlony, the hero of the Nepalese War (1814-1816). Sir David Ochterlony was born in February 1758 at Boston, U.S.A. He joined the East India Company’s army as a cadet in 1777 and rose to the rank of Major General. He died at Meerut in 1825. In the year 1828, the monument was built under the expert supervision of architect J.P. Parker who executed the design of Charles Knowles Robinson at a cost of about Rs. 35,000 which was met by public subscription. In 1969, however, it was renamed Sahid Minar or Martyrs’ Column in memory of the Indian freedom fighters who had laid down their lives for freedom of this nation.

The Ochterlony Monument is of a predominantly eastern design, with a rare combination of three different styles of architecture. The base is Egyptian, the column Syrian, while the dome with its metal cupola is essentially Turkish. The height of the monument is 158 feet, the spiral staircase within contains 198 steps from the ground level to the first balcony and another 25 from the first to the second balcony. For years the Ochterlony Monument has been administered under the supervision of the Kolkata Police, and climbing to the top is possible only after a requisite trip to Lalbazar to sign necessary paperwork. However, a trip to the top is well worth the trouble, as from here one can marvel at the spreading panorama of the busy city below.

Brian Paul Bach in his book Calcutta’s Edifice states, “After entering the burial vault looking metal doors, one suddenly faces 215 whitewashed corkscrew steps, made of Chunar stone. Suddenly there is a deserty feel, rather like climbing the minar of an ancient arid fortress. For here at the bottom of the steps, is an instant remoteness from the city centre, tempered by the magic of the insulatory Maidan. Poised at the base of the tube, a draft of air spirals upwards-the smokestack principle. Yet the perspiration flows in the closeness, adding to the utter, unexpected sensuality exuded at every angle, up, down, and out the tiny air/light perforations, which appears with far too little regularity on the way up.”

The Shaheed Minar(Martyrs’ Monument), formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument is a monument in Kolkata that was erected in 1825 by 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 theEast India Company’s armed forces over the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War. The monument was constructed in his memory. It was designed by J.P. Parker and paid for from public funds.

In August 1969, it was rededicated to the memory of the martyrs of the Indian freedom movement and hence renamed the “Shahid 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.

Structure

Commonly referred to as the Monument, the Shahid Minar is located at Esplanade in central Kolkata in the north east facet of the Maidan the tower is 48 m (157 ft) high. It has a foundation based on the Egyptian style. The column is a combination of styles with a classical fluted column, a Syrian upper portion and a Turkish dome. It has two balconies at the top. The top floor of the minar is accessible by a serpentile staircase, a total of 223 steps.It has a total of 218 steps until the top of the tower.

The vast field to the south of Shaheed Minar, is known as the Shaheed Minar Maidan or the Brigade Ground. It has a history of holding political rallies and fairs. The first political meeting on the ground, was presided over by Rabindranath Tagore to condemn the killing of a youth in Hijli by the British in 1931. The central bus terminus of the city is around the monument.