Ochterlony Monument
| Shaheed Minar | |
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The Shaheed Minar as seen from the Brigade Grounds
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| Former names | Ochterlony Monument অক্টারলোনি মনুমেন্ট |
| 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°ECoordinates: 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 (Bengali: শহীদ মিনার Shôhid Minar; English: Martyrs' Monument), formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument (Bengali: অক্টারলোনি মনুমেন্ট), 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. The monument was constructed in his memory. It 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.
Entitled as the "Cloud kissing Monument" by Mark Twain, the Shaheed Minar is located at Esplanade in central Kolkata in the north east facet of the Maidan the tower is 48 metres (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 serpentine staircase, a total of 223 steps. It has a total of 218 steps until the top of the tower.
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