Amit Shah to Inaugurate Rs 800 Crore Ambala Shaheed Smarak on November 5 and Join Karnal Padyatra
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate the Rs 800 crore martyrs memorial at Ambala Cantonment in Haryana on November 5, in a major event honouring the heroes of India’s first war of independence in 1857. The memorial, named Azadi ki Pehli Ladai ka Shaheed Smarak, stands as a tribute to the soldiers, farmers, women and civilians who took part in the uprising against British rule, and it places Ambala’s historic contribution at the centre of the story. Shah will visit Ambala, described by Haryana BJP president Archana Gupta as the land of Goddess Amba, to formally open the memorial to the public after a long journey from proposal to completion.
Earlier on the same day, Shah will also take part in the BJP’s Loktantra Bachao Arajakta Hatao padyatra in Karnal, joining party workers and leaders in the march before travelling to Ambala for the inauguration. Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union Power Minister and Karnal MP Manohar Lal Khattar, and several senior state leaders are scheduled to participate in the Karnal programme. Preparations for both events have been reviewed in detail, with organisational meetings held at the BJP district headquarters in Karnal, Karna Kamal, to finalise the route, mobilisation of workers, security and venue arrangements.
The memorial itself is one of the most ambitious heritage projects in Haryana. It features a 63-metre-high lotus-shaped structure equipped with two high-speed lifts, a sky cafe, a 2,500-seat open-air theatre and a 300-seat auditorium, along with a 360-degree projection system, laser and sound shows and interactive displays recreating important episodes of the 1857 uprising. As many as 23 galleries document the events of 1857 in Ambala, Meerut, Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Jhansi and other parts of the country. The names of more than 700 freedom fighters, identified through historical research, have been inscribed in gold, and more names may be added as further records become available.
Energy and Transport Minister Anil Vij, the local MLA who has pursued the project for years, said the memorial would be opened to visitors following the ceremony, with arrangements for groups of 40 visitors and digital facilities for information and ticket bookings. A comprehensive visit could take about six hours, and a five-member committee of historians examined archival records and other historical material used to develop the exhibits. The initial proposal for the memorial was prepared in 2010, when 22 acres of land were acquired and Rs 17 crore was sanctioned, and the project was taken forward after the BJP formed the government in Haryana in 2014. For Ambala and for Haryana, the November 5 inauguration marks the completion of a long-awaited tribute that is expected to draw visitors, students and history enthusiasts from across the country.
