Dagshai Central Jail & Museum
The Dagshai Jail Museum or Dagshai Central Jail set up in 1847 is a T-shaped building of local stone masonry and has 54 tiny cells[1]. It is the only museum in India which once was a jail apart from the Cellular Jail in the Andamans[2].
Dagshai Jail Museum | |
 Dagshai Museum Front Gate | |
 | |
| Location | Dagshai, Himachal Pradesh, INDIA |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 30°53′11.896″N 77°3′2.027″W / 30.88663778°N 77.05056306°W |
| Type | Jail museum |
| Key holdings | 54 cells, 16 were solitary imprisonment. |
| Collections | Old photographs, Jail cells, fire hydrant (1865) |
| Nearest parking | Outside jail museum gate |
| Website | sites |
It is 6087 feets above sea level, 11 Km away from Solan, Himachal Pradesh[3]. Maintained by the Engineering Wing of the Indian Army[4]. The structure holds 54 maximum cells, out of which 16 cells were used for severe punishments. These cells were hardly ventilated and there was no source for any sort of natural light. The details of each cell are mentioned on title boards[5].
Inauguration
Dagshai Jail museum was inaugurated by Major General SK Gadeock on 13th Oct 2011 for the public[6].
History
Even the military jail in Dagshai Cantonment is a witness of Mahatma Gandhi's arrival in Himachal Pradesh. Britishers used to keep rogue soldiers in here. Nations father The Mahatma Gandhi himself spent two days here. However, not as a prisoner but he was here to meet the Irish prisoners. Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse was also kept in this very prison, interestingly he was believed to be the last prisoner of this jail[7].
At most, 50 prisoners were kept here and after the independence it was converted into the museum[8].
The Dagshai Jail Museum is unique as it is the only jail museum in India. The establishment of the museum in 2011 was due to the great vision and drive of Kasauli's Brigade Commander, Brig. Ananth Narayanan.
Anand Sethi, a local resident of Dagshai Hills helped him in the curation of this museum with vintage and archival photographs and other material sourced from India, the U.K. and Ireland[1].
Construction & View
The Dagshai jail was constructed in the year 1849 at a cost of Rs 72,873. It has 54 maximum security cells. These cells are 8’x12’ with 20-foot high ceilings.
The little hamlet was born nearly a century and a half ago, in 1847, by the East India Company by securing 5 villages at no expense from the erstwhile Maharaja of Patiala[9].
Gallery
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Jail Museum
The museums in the jail compound of old photographs of houses which recreates the history of the place and some memorabilia from the British rule period. The architecture of both the jail and the museum are typical British in green color[4].
These were for prisoners guilty of treachery, who were subjected to cruel chastisement, barricaded windows and doors[3].
Displays in Museum
Apart from the jail there's also the Dagshai Heritage museum. You can see photos of Steam Engines, railway lines, old customs of Dagshai, a brief mention of monkey point and some old notes on what this place was like during the war times[6].
Nearby Places
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Other nearby places of interest are Old Cemetery which was established in 1845, Catholic Church and a graveyard.
Some Other Highlights
- It is the only jail museum in India.
- Mahatma Gandhi was kept here for a few days.
- Nobody ever escaped from this jail.
- The area around Dagshai has about 11 forts constructed by the Nepalese Gurkhas under the great General Amar Singh Thapa, when they ruled this part of North India from 1805 to 1816. One of these forts, at Banasar is on a hill South of Dagshai[1].
- There’s also a graveyard with graves that date back to the early 1800s. The aura is spooky and mendacious[3].
- There is only one VIP cell in the jail[10].
- Outside the courtyard of the cell, one can see the solid gun-metal fire hydrant made in 1865 in the UK[11].
Fire hydrant (1865) Dagshai Jail Museum - Anand Sethi, a military historian and long-time resident of Dagshai whose father, Balkrishan Sethi was the first Indian to be a Cantonment Executive Officer (1941-42), is the man behind the project who funded the project and collaborated with the Army to make the museum come alive.[11]
_Dagshai_Jail_Museum.jpg)
References
- ^ a b c "Dagshai Jail Museum". sites.google.com. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ "The Dagshai Jail Museum, Solan, Himachal Pradesh". www.tourmyindia.com. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ a b c "Time stands still in this little hamlet situated in the heart of the Himalayas". The Sunday Guardian Live. 2016-10-15. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ a b Pioneer, The. "KASAUlI, DAGSHAI AND SUBATHU: The Quaint Cantonment Hill stations". The Pioneer. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ Ram, Siji (2016-07-26). "A Visit to the Dagshai Jail Museum in Solan". https://www.nativeplanet.com. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ a b "The Dagshai Jail Museum, Solan, India: View Images, Timing and Reviews". Tripoto. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ "हिमाचल की डगशाई जेल में महात्मा गांधी थे मेहमान और गोडसे कैदी". News18 India. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ "गांधी जयंतीः ये है वो जेल, जहां कैद था बापू का कातिल नाथूराम गोडसे, आज एक म्यूजियम है". Amar Ujala (in Hindi). Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ "Time stands still in this little hamlet situated in the heart of the Himalayas". The Sunday Guardian Live. 2016-10-15. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ "The Dagshai Jail Museum, Solan, Himachal Pradesh". www.tourmyindia.com. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
- ^ a b November 10, Sukant Deepak; November 20, 2017 ISSUE DATE:; November 10, 2017UPDATED:; Ist, 2017 19:21. "Preserving dark secrets". India Today. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
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