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The Cellular Jail, also known as 'Kala Pani', is located in:
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Answer: Option C — Port Blair (Sri Vijaya Puram)
Detailed Solution
The Cellular Jail is located in Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which was renamed "Sri Vijaya Puram" in 2024.
About the Cellular Jail:
- It was built by the British between 1896 and 1906 to hold political prisoners from the Indian freedom struggle in solitary confinement, far from the mainland.
- It was called "Kala Pani" ("black water") because prisoners were sent across the sea and feared losing their caste and connection with home.
It has a central watchtower with seven wings radiating from it like the spokes of a wheel, a design based on the "Panopticon" idea. This allowed guards to watch all the prisoners.
It had 693 cells, each meant for one prisoner, so that prisoners could not communicate with one another. This is why it is called the "Cellular" Jail.
Only three of the seven wings survive today. The others were destroyed during the Japanese occupation in World War II and after an earthquake in 1941.
Prisoners suffered harsh treatment, forced labour (such as grinding oil from coconuts and mustard) and poor food. Several hunger strikes were held, notably in 1933, when Mahavir Singh died after being force-fed.
Famous prisoners:
- Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and his brother Ganesh (Babarao) Savarkar.
- Batukeshwar Dutt (associate of Bhagat Singh).
- Barindra Kumar Ghosh (Alipore Bomb Case).
- Sachindranath Sanyal (sent there twice).
- Ullaskar Dutt, Bhai Parmanand and Yogendra Shukla.
- Even before the jail was built, freedom fighters of the Revolt of 1857, such as Fazl-e-Haq Khairabadi, were sent to the Andamans.
After independence:
- It was declared a National Memorial in 1979 by Prime Minister Morarji Desai.
- A light and sound show tells its history.
- The airport at Port Blair is named "Veer Savarkar International Airport".
- On 30 December 1943, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose hoisted the Indian national flag at Port Blair, during the Japanese occupation.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Car Nicobar is the largest island of the Nicobar group.
- ✗Kavaratti is the capital of Lakshadweep.
- ✗Diu was a Portuguese territory with a famous fort.
Quick tip
Remember: Cellular Jail ("Kala Pani") = Port Blair/Sri Vijaya Puram (1896-1906; 693 cells; seven wings; Savarkar, B. K. Dutt, Barindra Ghosh; National Memorial 1979); Netaji hoisted the flag at Port Blair on 30 December 1943.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.