Cellular Jail, Colonial prison in Port Blair, India

Cellular Jail is a former colonial prison in Sri Vijaya Puram, now a national memorial and museum. The pale yellow building has two tall cylindrical towers flanking a central arched gate inscribed "CELLULAR JAIL", with crenellations above and two levels of green-railed verandas. Only three of the original seven radiating wings remain.

British authorities built the facility between 1896 and 1906 to confine Indian independence activists on a remote island far from the mainland. After India gained independence in 1947, the site closed as a working detention center and later became a national memorial.

The name comes from the 696 solitary cells, each 4.5 by 2.7 metres, where inmates could not see or speak to one another. The wings were angled so that one cell faced the back of cells in another wing. Guards locked prisoners in and threw the key inside, out of reach of any outstretched hand.

The museum opens daily except Monday with separate morning and afternoon hours, and admission requires a small fee. Walking through the remaining wings and central tower usually takes about an hour to complete.

The three remaining wings still show cells in their original condition, with heavy iron doors and narrow air vents placed near the ceiling. Originally there were seven wings, but four were demolished after independence to make space for public buildings.