Shaheed Minar, Kolkata
| Shaheed Minar | |
|---|---|
The Shaheed Minar as seen from the Brigade Grounds | |
| Former names | Ochterlony Monument |
| General information | |
| Status | Used as a monument and owned by the Government of West Bengal |
| Type | Monument |
| Architectural style | Foundation based on: Egyptian, Column of: Syrian, Cupola of: Turkish |
| Location | Kolkata Maidan |
| Address | 11, Rani Rashmoni Avenue |
| Town or city | Kolkata, West Bengal |
| Country | India |
| Coordinates | 22°33′46″N 88°20′57″E / 22.56286°N 88.34923°E |
| Construction started | 1825 |
| Completed | 1828 |
| Renovated | 2011–present |
| Owner | Government of West Bengal |
| Height | 48 m (157 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Other designers | J. P. Parker |
The Shaheed Minar (English: Martyrs' Monument), formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument, is a monument in Kolkata that was erected in 1828 in memory of 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 the East India Company’s armed forces over the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War, also known as the Gurkha War. The monument was designed by J. P. Parker and paid for from public funds.
On 9 August 1969, it was rededicated to the memory of the martyrs of the Indian freedom movement and renamed the "Shaheed 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. The present government has decided to illuminate the tower during evenings and allow visitors to the top. The last people to have been up there were former governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and his family.