Shaheed Minar

Shaheed Minar is a tall column at Esplanade in central Kolkata. It was raised in 1828 as a memorial to Major-General Sir David Ochterlony, a commander of the East India Company, to celebrate his military successes, among them the Anglo-Nepalese War. For many years it was known as the Ochterlony Monument.

The tower rises 157 feet and mixes styles: the base is Egyptian in feel, the shaft draws on Syrian design and the cupola is Turkish. Fluting runs up its sides. Mark Twain called it a cloud-kissing monument. A climb of 223 steps leads to two balconies with wide views over the city.

After Independence the monument was renamed Shaheed Minar, shaheed meaning martyr, and dedicated to those who died in the freedom struggle. Long closed to visitors, it has been reopened by the state government, and at night coloured lights in blue, purple, orange and green pick out its flutes.