Port Blair Travel Guide: Cellular Jail, Ross Island & Maritime History

1. The Cellular Jail National Memorial (Kala Pani)

Dominating a seaside promontory at Atlanta Point in Port Blair, the Cellular Jail stands as the definitive architectural monument to India's struggle for independence. Completed in 1906 after a decade of convict labor, this massive brick penitentiary was conceived by British colonial authorities following the Indian Uprising of 1857 to break the spirit of revolutionary political prisoners through absolute solitary confinement and sensory deprivation.

The term Kala Pani (Black Waters) originated in ancient Indian sociological taboo regarding ocean travel, which was believed to cause loss of caste status. British penal administrators weaponized this psychological fear, exiling dissidents thousands of kilometers across the Bay of Bengal to an inescapable island prison surrounded by shark-inhabited tropical seas.

Architectural Panopticon Design

The Cellular Jail was constructed using pucca burnt red bricks imported directly from Burma (modern Myanmar). The structural layout was modeled upon Jeremy Bentham's architectural concept of the panopticon: seven straight three-story wings radiating symmetrically outward from a central octagonal watchtower, resembling the spokes of a bicycle wheel.

Each of the seven wings contained solitary cells measuring precisely 4.5 by 2.7 meters (14.8 × 8.9 feet), with a single barred ventilator positioned three meters above the floor on the back wall. Crucially, the front of each wing faced the blank back wall of the adjacent wing, preventing prisoners from seeing or communicating with inmates in neighboring wings. In total, the prison contained 693 individual cells, eliminating communal congregation entirely.

Prominent Political Prisoners & Resistance

The Cellular Jail housed prominent revolutionary leaders convicted in major conspiracy trials against the British Raj, including:

• Vinayak Damodar (Veer) Savarkar: Sentenced to 50 years' transportation across two life sentences for his involvement in the Nasik Conspiracy Case. Savarkar was incarcerated from 1911 to 1921 in solitary cell number 44 on the top floor of Wing 3, enduring relentless physical labor operating the manual oil mill (kolhu).
• Babarao (Ganesh) Savarkar: Elder brother of Veer Savarkar, imprisoned concurrently in separate wings without either brother knowing of the other's presence for several years.
• Batukeshwar Dutt: Convicted alongside Bhagat Singh in the 1929 Central Legislative Assembly bombing in Delhi. Dutt survived arduous years of hard labor in Port Blair before his eventual release.
• Yogendra Shukla and Sachindra Nath Sanyal: Leaders of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) and Anushilan Samiti, who spearheaded organized hunger strikes inside the facility.

Conditions inside the jail were brutal. Inmates were subjected to daily quotas of extracting 30 pounds of coconut oil or 10 pounds of mustard oil by harnessing themselves to wooden mill yokes in place of draft animals. Failure to meet quotas resulted in flogging on the execution frame, bar fetters, and solitary confinement in dark penal cells. In May 1933, political prisoners initiated a mass hunger strike protesting medical neglect, during which revolutionaries Mahavir Singh, Mohan Kishore Namadas, and Mohit Moitra died from forced nasal feeding complications.

Today, only three of the original seven wings survive; two wings were demolished by Japanese occupying forces during World War II, and two were dismantled in the post-independence era before the Indian Parliament intervened, declaring the site a National Memorial in 1979. The memorial houses the eternal flame (Swatantrya Jyot), a freedom fighter photo gallery, and Savarkar's preserved cell.

2. Ross Island (Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep)

Positioned barely two kilometers east of Port Blair harbor, Ross Island served as the administrative headquarters of the British settlement in the Andaman Islands from 1858 until the Japanese invasion of 1941. In December 2018, the Government of India officially renamed the island Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Netaji hoisting the Indian national flag on island soil.

During its colonial zenith, British administrators transformed this 0.8-square-kilometer island into an opulent tropical enclave colloquially known as the "Paris of the East." While thousands of Indian convicts suffered in penal barracks across the water, Ross Island featured manicured tennis courts, a grand Presbyterian church, a printing press, a water distillation plant, a ballroom, and the sprawling Italianate Government House for the Chief Commissioner.

Following a devastating earthquake in 1941 and subsequent Japanese occupation, the British abandoned Ross Island, transferring administrative functions to mainland Port Blair. Today, the island presents an extraordinary spectacle of natural reclamation: the massive, sprawling root systems of sacred fig and banyan trees (Ficus religiosa and Ficus benghalensis) have encapsulated roofless stone churches, commissioner residences, and subterranean military bunkers, creating an open-air historical ruin where herds of spotted deer (Axis axis) and peacocks roam freely.

3. Viper Island: The Pre-Cellular Penal Gallows

Located inside the sheltered waters of Port Blair harbor, Viper Island was the site of the earliest British penal colony in the Andaman archipelago, predating the construction of the Cellular Jail by nearly four decades. Named after the cutter vessel H.M.S. Viper, which ran aground on the island in 1789, the island was developed in 1868 under Superintendent Major Ford to confine unruly convicts and political dissidents.

The island is dominated by the brick ruins of a two-story court building and the original gallows constructed atop a steep ridge. Freedom fighters who organized strikes or attempted escapes from mainland Port Blair were transferred to Viper Island to endure the dreaded "conjoint irons"—heavy iron rings welded onto both ankles connected by a rigid 16-inch bar. Renowned revolutionary Sher Ali Afridi, who assassinated Viceroy Lord Mayo during his official inspection visit to Mount Harriet in February 1872, was tried and hanged on the Viper Island gallows on March 11, 1872.

4. Chatham Saw Mill: Asia's Oldest Operating Timber Mill

Established in 1883 on Chatham Island, Chatham Saw Mill is recognized as one of the oldest and largest working wood-processing mills in Asia. The island is connected to mainland Port Blair via a 100-meter vehicular bridge across the harbor channel.

Historically, the mill processed immense quantities of endemic timber, including Andaman Padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides), Gurjan, and Satinwood, which were exported across the British Empire for railway sleeper construction, shipbuilding, and architectural paneling (including paneling within London's Buckingham Palace). During World War II, Allied bombers heavily raided the Japanese-occupied facility; today, preserved bomb craters within the timber yards serve as physical testaments to the Pacific war theater. The mill remains operational under the A&N Forest Department, featuring guided tours through steam-saw gantries and a rich forest museum.

5. Corbyn's Cove Beach & Aberdeen Bazaar

While the premier white coral beaches of the territory reside on Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) and Neil (Shaheed Dweep), Port Blair offers accessible coastal promenades and vibrant commercial centers:

Corbyn's Cove Beach

Located approximately 8 kilometers south of central Port Blair, Corbyn's Cove is a crescent-shaped, coconut palm-fringed bay fronting the open Andaman Sea. The beach features commercial water sports operators offering jet-ski rides, banana boats, and speedboating to Snake Island. Visitors should exercise realistic expectations: the shoreline features compact greyish sand and occasional rocky underwater shelves rather than the powdery coral sands found in Ritchie's Archipelago. Swimming is safe within designated lifebuoy zones.

Aberdeen Bazaar

Aberdeen Bazaar forms the commercial and cultural core of Port Blair. Established in the late 19th century around the historic clock tower, the market provides an authentic glimpse into the multi-ethnic demographic fabric of the islands—home to descendants of Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayali, and Ranchi settlers. The bazaar is renowned for authentic island handicrafts, including carved Andaman Padauk woodwork, coconut shell artifacts, and woven bamboo wares. Travelers should ensure that shell purchases carry official Forest Department certified receipts, as collecting or exporting wild sea shells and coral without documentation violates the Wildlife Protection Act.

6. World War II Japanese Occupation & The Homfreygunj Massacre

Port Blair was the only Indian territorial capital occupied by an Axis power during World War II. On March 23, 1942, Japanese imperial forces landed in Port Blair, meeting no military resistance following the evacuation of the British garrison. The occupation endured for three and a half years until October 1945.

On December 29, 1943, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose arrived in Port Blair as head of the Provisional Government of Free India (Azad Hind). Netaji hoisted the Indian tricolor at the Gymkhana Ground (now Netaji Stadium) on December 30, visited the Cellular Jail, and declared the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as the first liberated territory of India, conferring upon them the historic names Shaheed Dweep (Martyr Island) and Swaraj Dweep (Self-Rule Island).

However, the civilian reality under Japanese occupation deteriorated catastrophically. Paralyzed by naval blockades and Allied submarine operations, Japanese intelligence forces instituted severe reign-of-terror crackdowns against local residents on suspicion of espionage for the British. On January 30, 1944, Japanese soldiers marched 44 prominent Indian civilian residents—including teachers, doctors, and members of the local Indian Independence League—to a hill in the village of Homfreygunj, approximately 15 kilometers south of Port Blair. The prisoners were systematically shot and buried in an open trench. The Homfreygunj Martyrs' Memorial marks this tragic, rarely discussed chapter of Indian wartime history.

7. The Andaman & Nicobar Command: India's Tri-Service Fortress

Beyond tourism, Port Blair is the operational headquarters of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC)—established on October 8, 2001, as India's first unified geographic command integrating the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard under a single three-star military commander.

Port Blair's naval base, INS Jarawa, and naval air station, INS Utkrosh (sharing runways with Veer Savarkar Airport), command the deep-water harbor of Haddo and Phoenix Bay. The command oversees maritime surveillance across the Malacca Strait approaches, patrolling key international sea lanes. Visitors should observe strict security protocols: photography is prohibited around naval docks, defense perimeter fences, radar installations, and military runways across the capital.

8. How to Reach Port Blair & Transit Information

Port Blair functions as the mandatory transportation hub for all journeys into the archipelago:

• By Air: Veer Savarkar International Airport (IXZ) maintains direct non-stop flights from Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai operated by IndiGo, Air India, and SpiceJet. Flying times range between 2 hours (from Chennai/Kolkata) and 3.5 hours (from Delhi).
• Inter-Island Ferries: High-speed private catamarans to Havelock Island (90 minutes) and Neil Island (60 minutes) depart from Haddo Jetty and Phoenix Bay Jetty. Advance booking via Makruzz, Nautika, or Green Ocean portals is essential from October to May.
• Mainland Shipping: Utilitarian passenger ships operated by DSS sail from Chennai, Kolkata, and Visakhapatnam, taking 50 to 70 hours.

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