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| Home » India Heritage and Pilgrimage Destinations » Shahid Minar |
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Shahid Minar |
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The historic city of Kolkata, popularly called the “City of Joy”, is located along the eastern bank the sacred Hooghly River. This famous city of Kolkata rich is history, culture and tradition is known across the world for being home to many popular tourist attractions in India including numerous important historic sites and significant cultural centers as well as notable religious places. One of the most important of these interesting places in Kolkata is the towering Shahid Minar. The Shahid Minar, which literally means ‘tower of martyrs’ in Urdu, is the name derived by the famous historic tower overlooking the Maidan in the city of Kolkata. The Shahid Minar in Kolkata was known earlier as the Ochterlony Monument named after Sir David Ochterlony, its founder.
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This heritage monument in Kolkata was constructed after the Gurkha War (1814-1816) of Nepal for commemorating his victory in this war.
Located on the northern limit of Maidan close to Esplanade, the Shahid Minar stands with pride at the heart of the main political hub in Kolkata. All the major political events including political agitations, rallies and meetings begin at this spot in Shahid Minar only. The custom of organizing political meetings started in Shahid Minar in the year 1931 when a convocation meeting headed by Rabindranath Tagore was held here. If you can manage to climb up to the top of the Shahid Minar you can have a panoramic view of the Kolkata city. The Shahid Minar was constructed following different architectural approaches. Foundation of this popular Kolkata monument was done according to the Egyptian architectural style, the top of the Shahid Minar being built following Turkish and Syrian architectural approaches. The Ochterlony Monument derived its name ‘Shahid Minar’ in 1969, this name being imparted to it for immortalizing those brave martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting for the freedom of their country.
Our site placesinindia.com has given you a clear idea about the Shahid Minar. If you know further about the other India Heritage and Pilgrimage Destinations, browse through the following links on our site placesinindia.com.
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