Port Blair (), officially named as Sri Vijaya Puram,[4] is the capital city of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a union territory of India in the Bay of Bengal. It is also the local administrative sub-division (tehsil) of the islands, the headquarters for the district of South Andaman, and the territory's only notified town.
Port Blair | |
|---|---|
City | |
| Sri Vijaya Puram | |
Clockwise from top: Aerial view of Port Blair, Seaside Road, Cellular Jail, Jaljeevshala Aquarium, Port Blair Science Centre, Beach in Port Blair | |
  Port Blair Location in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands  Port Blair Port Blair (Bay of Bengal) | |
| Coordinates: 11°40′06″N 92°44′16″E / 11.66833°N 92.73778°E | |
| Country |  India |
| Union Territory |  Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| District | South Andaman |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Body | Port Blair Municipal Council |
| Area | |
• Total | 41 km2 (16 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 16 m (52 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 140,572[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+5.30 (IST) |
| Climate | Am |
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Port Blair is the entry point for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It is connected with mainland India by both air and sea. It is a two to three-hour flight from mainland India to Port Blair's Veer Savarkar International Airport and three to four days by sea to reach Kolkata, Chennai, or Visakhapatnam from Haddo Wharf in the city. It is home to several museums and the major naval base INS Jarawa of the Indian Navy, along with sea and air bases of the Indian Coast Guard, Andaman and Nicobar Police, Andaman and Nicobar Command, the first integrated tri-command between the Indian Armed Forces, Indian Air Force and the navy.[5]
The historic Cellular Jail is in the city, and nearby small islands such as Corbyn's Cove, Wandoor, Ross Island and Viper Island were once home to British colonists.[6] The city was named after Captain Archibald Blair, a British colonial navy official of the East India Company. On 13 September 2024, the Government of India renamed the city to Sri Vijaya Puram.[7]
History
Pre-history
The indigenous inhabitants are the Andamanese. Radiocarbon dating studies of the kitchen refuse dumps from the mounds excavated by the Anthropological Survey of India at Choladari near Port Blair indicate human occupation for at least 2,000 years,[8][9][better source needed] although they are likely to have diverged from the inhabitants of the mainland significantly earlier.
Modern history
In 1789 the Government of Bengal established a penal colony on Chatham Island in the southeast bay of Great Andaman, named Port Blair in the honour of Archibald Blair of the East India Company. After two years, the colony moved to the northeast part of Great Andaman and was named Port Cornwallis after Admiral William Cornwallis. However, there was much disease and death in the penal colony, and the government ceased operating it in May 1796.
In 1824 Port Cornwallis was the rendezvous of the fleet carrying the army to the First Anglo-Burmese War. In the 1830s and 1840s, shipwrecked crews who landed on the Andamans were often attacked and killed by the natives, alarming the British government. In 1855, the government proposed another settlement on the islands, including a convict establishment, but the Indian Rebellion of 1857 forced a delay in its construction.
However, since the rebellion provided the British with a lot of new prisoners, it made the new Andaman settlement and prison an urgent necessity. Construction began in November 1857 at the renovated Port Blair, avoiding the vicinity of a saltwater swamp that seemed to have been the source of many of the old colony's problems. The penal colony was originally on Viper Island. The convicts, mostly political prisoners, suffered life imprisonment at hard labour under cruel and degrading conditions. Many were hanged, while others died of disease and starvation. Between 1864 and 1867 a penal establishment was also built with convict labour on the northern side of Ross Island.[10] These structures now lie in ruins.[11]
As the Indian independence movement continued to grow in the late 19th century, the enormous Cellular Jail was constructed between 1896 and 1906 to house Indian convicts, mostly political prisoners, in solitary confinement. The Cellular Jail is also known as Kala Pani (translated as "Black Waters"), a name given to it due to the torture and general ill-treatment of its Indian convicts.
In World War II the islands were occupied by the Japanese on 23 March 1942 without opposition from the garrison. From 1943 to 1944, Port Blair served as the headquarters of the Azad Hind government under Subhas Chandra Bose. British forces returned to the islands in October 1945.[12]
Although affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Port Blair survived sufficiently to act as a base for relief efforts in the islands. In 2017 it was selected as one of the cities to be developed as a smart city under the Smart Cities Mission.[13]
Climate
Port Blair has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am), with little variation in average temperature and large amounts of precipitation throughout the year. All months except January, February, and March receive substantial rainfall.
Highest recorded temperature: 36.8 °C (98.2 °F) on 20 April 2013[14]
Lowest recorded temperature: 14.6 °C (58.3 °F) on 5 June 1986[14]
| Climate data for Port Blair (1991–2020, extremes 1901–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 33.0 (91.4) |
34.6 (94.3) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.8 (98.2) |
36.4 (97.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
32.8 (91.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
35.4 (95.7) |
35.6 (96.1) |
34.0 (93.2) |
35.4 (95.7) |
36.8 (98.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 29.9 (85.8) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
32.5 (90.5) |
31.5 (88.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
29.6 (85.3) |
29.5 (85.1) |
29.5 (85.1) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.5 (86.9) |
30.1 (86.2) |
30.5 (86.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) |
26.9 (80.4) |
27.6 (81.7) |
28.7 (83.7) |
28.2 (82.8) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.9 (80.4) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.0 (80.6) |
27.3 (81.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.0 (73.4) |
22.7 (72.9) |
23.4 (74.1) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.9 (76.8) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.7 (74.7) |
23.8 (74.8) |
24.3 (75.7) |
23.9 (75.0) |
24.0 (75.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 14.8 (58.6) |
15.9 (60.6) |
16.2 (61.2) |
17.3 (63.1) |
17.1 (62.8) |
18.8 (65.8) |
18.0 (64.4) |
19.8 (67.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
17.8 (64.0) |
17.3 (63.1) |
16.2 (61.2) |
14.6 (58.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 48.9 (1.93) |
14.2 (0.56) |
32.7 (1.29) |
78.0 (3.07) |
407.2 (16.03) |
484.2 (19.06) |
448.5 (17.66) |
460.2 (18.12) |
505.2 (19.89) |
300.9 (11.85) |
221.8 (8.73) |
111.4 (4.39) |
3,113.4 (122.57) |
| Average rainy days | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 4.2 | 15.9 | 18.7 | 19.3 | 19.1 | 20.0 | 14.9 | 10.4 | 4.9 | 132.3 |
| Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) | 75 | 71 | 72 | 74 | 83 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 89 | 87 | 82 | 77 | 81 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 266.6 | 265.6 | 266.6 | 237.0 | 158.1 | 90.0 | 102.3 | 99.2 | 117.0 | 167.4 | 189.0 | 241.8 | 2,200.6 |
| Mean daily sunshine hours | 8.6 | 9.4 | 8.6 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 7.8 | 6.0 |
| Source 1: India Meteorological Department (sun 1971-2000)[15][16][17][18] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA(extremes[14]), Tokyo Climate Center (mean temperatures 1991–2020)[19] | |||||||||||||
Tourism
Port Blair is the entry point for all tourism-related activities. Tourists first have to arrive at Port Blair before progressing on to any other islands in Andaman. At Port Blair, the major tourist places to visit are the Cellular Jail, Corbyns Cove Beach, North Bay Island, Ross Island renamed to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Island, Chidiatapu, Wandoor, Samudrika Naval Marine Museum, and other museums that are present within city limits. Entry charges apply to some of the tourist places.[citation needed]
Demographics
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 7,789 | — |
| 1961 | 14,075 | +80.7% |
| 1971 | 26,218 | +86.3% |
| 1981 | 49,634 | +89.3% |
| 1991 | 74,955 | +51.0% |
| 2001 | 99,984 | +33.4% |
| 2011 | 108,058 | +8.1% |
| Source: Government of India[20] | ||
As of 2011[update] India census,[21] Port Blair had a population of 100,608. Males constitute 52.92% (53,247) of the population and females 47.07% (47,361). 9.3% of the population is under the age of 6 years.
Language
Port Blair is a multilingual city. Largest language's population are
Tamil 40,323
Telugu 32,628
Hindi 31,520
Bengali 28,063
Malayalam 13,670
Sadri 3,479
Kurukh 3,459
Necobarese 2,308. [22]
Port Blair tehsil in 2011 census
Religion
The most common religion is Hinduism, followed by Christianity and Islam.[citation needed]
Literacy
Port Blair has an average literacy rate of 89.76%, higher than the national average that is 74.04%. In Port Blair, male literacy is 92.79%, and female literacy is 86.34%.[citation needed]
Administration
The Port Blair Municipal Council, abbreviated as PBMC is the ruling civic body administering the city of Port Blair, the capital and the largest city in the Indian union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The council came into existence on 2 October 1957 after the assent by the President of India to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Municipal Board's) Regulation, 1957 Act on 11 March 1957. The council comprises a total of 24 wards after the recent delimitation and the expansion of the city limits with the merger of a few other villages to the existing 18 wards previously.[23][24]
The recent elections for the council were held in 2022.[25][26] U. Kavitha from Ward 24 a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party was elected as the chairperson for the first term which commenced on 16 March 2022.[27][28] On 14 March 2023, Telugu Desam Party councillor S. Selvi from Ward 5 was elected as the chairperson for the second year term commencing from 16 March 2023 as part of the joint candidature from the BJP-TDP Alliance.[29][30]
Port Blair Municipal Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 2 October 1957 |
| Leadership | |
Chairperson | S. Selvi, TDP since 16 March 2023 |
Secretary | Smitha R, IAS |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 24 |
 | |
Political groups | Government (13)
Opposition (11) |
| Elections | |
Last election | 2022 |
Next election | 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Indira Bhavan | |
| Website | |
| pbmc | |
PBMC electoral history
| Year | BJP | INC | TDP | DMK | AIADMK | IND | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | [31] |
| 2022 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | [32] |
| # | Winner | Runner Up | Margin | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Candidate | Party | Votes | ||||
| 1 | S. Karunakaran | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 1,892 | S. Shahul Hameed | Indian National Congress | 694 | 1,198 | ||
| 2 | R. Someswara Rao | Bharatiya Janata Party | 2,152 | S. Jayakumaren Nair | Indian National Congress | 1,035 | 1,117 | ||
| 3 | Ramjan Ali | Independent | 1,849 | A. R. Andan | Indian National Congress | 1,753 | 96 | ||
| 4 | E. Rani | All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam | 851 | Jameela Bibi | Independent | 584 | 267 | ||
| 5 | S. Selvi | Telugu Desam Party | 1,105 | A. Shanmugam | Bharatiya Janata Party | 742 | 363 | ||
| 6 | Protima Banerjee | Telugu Desam Party | 1,369 | K. Durga Bhavani | Bharatiya Janata Party | 438 | 931 | ||
| 7 | K. Indra Pal Singh | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,846 | K. Ibrahim | Telugu Desam Party | 804 | 1,042 | ||
| 8 | K. Ganeshan | Indian National Congress | 687 | Ganesh Babu | Telugu Desam Party | 427 | 260 | ||
| 9 | Anusia Devi | Bharatiya Janata Party | 901 | R. Nagamma | Indian National Congress | 772 | 129 | ||
| 10 | Sheela Singh | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,063 | Moti Chand | Indian National Congress | 855 | 208 | ||
| 11 | P. Prathibha Rao | Bharatiya Janata Party | 803 | Vinita Malhotra | Indian National Congress | 617 | 186 | ||
| 12 | S. N. N. Gregory | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,297 | S. Muthuraman | Indian National Congress | 823 | 474 | ||
| 13 | Upasana Prasad | Indian National Congress | 1,166 | Ranjana Jha | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,165 | 1 | ||
| 14 | B. Eswar Rao | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,210 | Nand Kishore | Indian National Congress | 1,076 | 134 | ||
| 15 | C. H. Babu | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,210 | B. Padmanabham | Telugu Desam Party | 823 | 387 | ||
| 16 | S. Usha | Bharatiya Janata Party | 706 | Zubaida Begum | Indian National Congress | 357 | 349 | ||
| 17 | Dharmendra Narayan | Independent | 1,150 | Pradeep Narayan | Indian National Congress | 497 | 653 | ||
| 18 | Rubana Aziz | Bharatiya Janata Party | 2,248 | Seena Meshack | Indian National Congress | 954 | 1,294 | ||
| 19 | K. Muthu | Indian National Congress | 925 | N. Venkat Ramana | Bharatiya Janata Party | 860 | 65 | ||
| 20 | M. Arumugam | Indian National Congress | 1,259 | P. Surendran | Bharatiya Janata Party | 952 | 307 | ||
| 21 | K. Arubadi | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,059 | R. Vimod | Indian National Congress | 496 | 563 | ||
| 22 | Vaishali Rani Dayal | Indian National Congress | 631 | Uma Rani | Bharatiya Janata Party | 454 | 177 | ||
| 23 | Yashwant Lall | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,026 | Sanjay Meshack | Independent | 696 | 330 | ||
| 24 | N. K. Udhaya Kumar | Bharatiya Janata Party | 1,154 | R. P. Arumugam | Telugu Desam Party | 884 | 270 | ||
Education
B.Ed
- Tagore Government College of Education
Degree
- Andaman and Nicobar college
- Jawaharlal Nehru Government College
Engineering
Law
Medicine
Gallery
-
Statue of Rajiv Gandhi -
Sunset in the bay -
Gandhi statue, Gandhi park -
Seaside Road -
-
Port Blair Science Centre -
Jaljeevshala Aquarium -
Aberdeen clock tower -
Memorial for the 1859 Battle of Aberdeen -
Port Blair Jain temple
See also
References
- ^ a b "Census of India Search details". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Port Blair City". Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Port Blair Info" (PDF).
- ^ "Port Blair renamed as Sri Vijaya Puram, announces Amit Shah". Deccan Herald. PTI. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "Andaman and Nicobar command". NIC. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "The Cool, Wild and Very Remote Andaman Islands". New York Times. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2023.
- ^ "Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar capital, renamed as Sri Vijaya Puram". India TV. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Ghai, Rajat (27 November 2018). "Leave the Sentinelese alone". downtoearth.org.in. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- ^ US Man's Body Should Be Left Alone, As Should The Andaman Tribe: Experts, NDTV, 27 November 2018.
- ^ "The Hindu : Notorious once, it stands shrouded in silence now". Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 27 December 2008.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) T. Ramakrishnan, "Notorious Once, It Stands Shrouded in Silence" - ^ http://www.galenfrysinger.com/ross_island.htm Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Ross Island
- ^ Jayant Dasgupta (2002). Japanese in Andaman & Nicobar Islands: red sun over black water. Manas Publications. ISBN 978-81-7049-138-5.
- ^ Khanna, Pretika (24 May 2016). "13 cities included in Phase 1 of Smart Cities Mission". LiveMint. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- ^ a b c "WMO Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Port Blair" (CSV). ncei.noaa.gov. NOAA. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
WMO Station Number: 43333
- ^ "Station: Port Blair Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 619–620. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Port Blair Climatological Table 1981–2010". India Meteorological Department. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Table 3 Monthly mean duration of Sun Shine (hours) at different locations in India" (PDF). Daily Normals of Global & Diffuse Radiation (1971–2000). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M-3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
- ^ "Normals Data: Port Blair - India Latitude: 11.67°N Longitude: 92.72°E Height: 79 (m)". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
- ^ "Census Tables". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
- ^ "C-16 Population By Mother Tongue". Census of India 2011. Office of the Registrar General.
- ^ Sanjib (5 March 2015). "Port Blair city all set for expansion; PBMC to have 24 wards". ANDAMAN SHEEKHA. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Port Blair City Limit to be Expanded". The New Indian Express. 16 May 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
- ^ "Panchayat, Municipal Polls In Andaman and Nicobar Islands On Sunday". NDTV.com. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Panchayat and Municipal Elections-2022 BJP & Congress win 10 seats each, TDP bags 2, DMK & Independent Candidate won 1 seat each in Municipal Election :: The Daily Telegrams". dt.andaman.gov.in. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Sanjib (16 March 2022). "U Kavitha from BJP elected as Chairperson of Port Blair Municipal Council for the first year term". ANDAMAN SHEEKHA. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ PTI (17 March 2022). "BJP councillor elected new chairperson of Port Blair Municipal Council". ThePrint. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ sanjib (14 March 2023). "Mrs. Selvi elected as Chairperson of PBMC". ANDAMAN SHEEKHA. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ Karthick, Tarun (14 March 2023). "TDP Councillor Selvi from Ward Number 5 is the Next PBMC Chairperson". Nicobar Times. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "Results of Panchayat & Municipal Elections 2015 Declared". www.andamanchronicle.net. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ PTI (17 March 2022). "BJP councillor elected new chairperson of Port Blair Municipal Council". ThePrint. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "Election Department". db.and.nic.in. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
External links
Port Blair travel guide from Wikivoyage
