Portuguese Cemetery, Kanpur, National Heritage Cemetery in Kanpur, India.
The Portuguese Cemetery in Kanpur is a burial ground with approximately 1200 graves and ornately designed tombstones spread across its expansive grounds. The cemetery displays architectural elements from different traditions, with black basalt carvings adorning the grave facades.
The cemetery was founded in 1781 following the burial of Lieutenant Colonel John Stephen in this location. This early burial marks the beginning of a place that would document the presence of Portuguese traders and their descendants in northern India.
The gravestones bear inscriptions in Portuguese and English, telling the story of a community that lived and died far from home. The way visitors walk through the rows of markers reveals how different cultures met and coexisted in this place.
The cemetery is located on VIP Road, formerly Amherst Street, and is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. Visitors should know that the grounds are protected heritage, so certain rules apply regarding how the monuments are treated.
At the center of the cemetery stands a brick structure built in panchyatana style, featuring a main dome surrounded by four miniature replicas of an Orissan rekha deul. This unusual combination reveals how local architectural forms were connected to the memory of those buried here.
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