Port Blair: History

The history of this island is not a very hapy one as this was used as a torture cell for the Indians who were caught by the Britishers while trying to fight against the British raj in India.The town is named for Archibald Blair of the British East India Company, who founded a nearby penal colony in 1789. Port Blair was founded by the British in 1858, the Cellular Jail surviving from this period. It is also known as “Kala Pani” translated as “Black Waters” For a time during 1943 and 1944, Port Blair was the headquarters of the Indian National Army government under Subhash Chandra Bose. Although damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, Port Blair survived sufficiently to act as a base for relief efforts in the islands. During World War II the islands were occupied by the Japanese, who tortured and murdered hundreds, suspected of collaborating with the British. British forces moved back in 1945 and abolished the penal settlement.