India 'neglects' historic heritage of 1857 rebellion
BARRACKPORE, Kolkata, India -- As India celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first uprising against the British, the town where the first shot was fired by sepoy (soldier) Mangal Pandey is witnessing the gradual obliteration of its historical heritage.
Mangal Pandey fired the famous shot at a British officer on 29 March 1857 at the Barrackpore parade ground -- now on the outskirts of Calcutta [Kolkata].
It was an action that stirred up a wave of rebellion in north India against the colonial power, and meant that Barrackpore would be a name always prominent in Indian history books.
But 150 years later, many of the sprawling bungalows and imposing structures from the colonial past have been completely swallowed by wild undergrowth...
Peepal and banyan trees have broken through the roofs and walls of once beautiful houses, leaving almost no scope for restoration.
Read entire article at BBC News
Mangal Pandey fired the famous shot at a British officer on 29 March 1857 at the Barrackpore parade ground -- now on the outskirts of Calcutta [Kolkata].
It was an action that stirred up a wave of rebellion in north India against the colonial power, and meant that Barrackpore would be a name always prominent in Indian history books.
But 150 years later, many of the sprawling bungalows and imposing structures from the colonial past have been completely swallowed by wild undergrowth...
Peepal and banyan trees have broken through the roofs and walls of once beautiful houses, leaving almost no scope for restoration.