From Eng: barren, ‘infertile, unproductive’. The island was named by British surveyors for its lack of vegetation and permanent settlement. It loes nearly 140km NE of Port Nlaor (now Sri Vihaya Today it is known as the site of India’s only active volcano. It has...
(Hin): चिड़िया टापू chiṛiyā ṭāpu ‘Bird Island’ From Hin: chiṛiyā, ‘bird’; and ṭāpu, ‘islet’. Located at the southern tip of South Andaman, the island is famed for its birdlife and sunsets. For related place names see Indian Place names and Andaman & Nicobar...
(Hin): डिगलीपुर ḍiglipur ‘Town at the Limit’ From Hin: dig, ‘direction, limit’; and Skt/Hin: pur, ‘town’. The northernmost major settlement of the Andamans, lying at the “end” of the inhabited islands.
Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (1806-57) was a 19th century British military officer and administrator. He founded the Lawrence Military Asylum, a hill station boarding school in Kasauli/Kussowlie (Himachal Pradesh) for the children of British soldiers to relieve them...
‘Interview Island’ The name recalls a supposed friendly encounter between East India Company officials and Great Andamanese people in the 19th century. This is the largest island in Ritchie’s Archipelago. It lies 125 km NW of Port Blair (now Sri Vijaya Puram). The...
Sir John Laird Mair Lawrence was Viceroy of India, 1864-69. Tragically, his greatest failure was the Orissa Famine of 1866. It affected more than 47 million people along the eastern coast northwards from Madras. One million died. It is argued that by moving from...
Hin: माया बन्दर māyā bandar ‘Port of Illusion’ From Skt: māyā, ‘illusion, magic’; and Pers/Hin: bandar, ‘port, harbour’. District headquarters of North and Middle Andaman, its hybrid name reflects cross-cultural influences. Ot is connected to Port Blair by road...
‘Hell-pit Island’ From Tam: naraka, ‘hell’; and Tam: kuṇṭam, ‘deep cavity’, ‘pit’. This is a volcano island with a 710m peak. 150km further south is Barren Island which still has an active volcano. For related place names see Indian Place names and Andaman &...
[Ross Island] This island (measuring less than 1.0km²) and the surrounding region was surveyed in 1788 by Sir Daniel Ross, a British hydrographer famed for his scientific accuracy and nicknamed “the Father of the Indian Surveys” landed on the small island in 1788 and...
Ritchie’s Archipelago is a group of small islands which form part of the Andamans. The main islands are: Havelock Island – 92.2 sq. km Henry Lawrence Island – 54.7 sq. km John Lawrence Island – 34.8 sq. km Peel Island – 23.7 sq. km Wilson...
(Hin): शहीद द्वीप śahīd dvīp ‘Martyr’s Island’ [Neill Island] From Skt: shahīd, ‘martyr’; and Skt: dvīpa, ‘ island’. James George Smith Neill was a British soldier who was promoted to the rank of Colonel during the 1857-9 Indian Rebellion . He is infamous for...
Sir Hugh Henry Rose, 1st Baron Strathnairn (1801–1885), was a British Army officer who eventually rose to the rank of Field Marshal and Commander-in-Chief of the British army in India. In 1858 he commanded troops in important victories at Jhansi, Lahore and Gwalior...
(Skt/Hin): श्री विजय पुरम् śrī vijaya puram ‘Victory City’ – City/Capital Andaman and Nicobar Islands From Skt/Hin: śrī, ‘auspicious’; vijaya, ‘victory’; pur, ‘town, city’. Renamed Sept 13, 2024, replacing its colonial-era name, Port Blair. The...
(Hin/Skt): स्वराज द्वीप svarāj dvīp ‘Independence Island’ [Havelock Island] From Skt: svarāj, ‘self-rule’, ‘independence’; and Skt: dvīpa, ‘ island’. Sir Henry Havelock was a British General famous for recapturing Kanpur (Cawnpore) during the 1857 Indian Rebellion. He...
H.M.S. Viper was the ship Lieutenant Blair used to survey the islands in 1789. Following a storm it was shipwrecked close to the island. The island was the site of a penal colony and prison built in 1864-7. It was used for incarcerating and executing convicts and...
