Ross Islands
It was the capital of Andaman Islands before Port Blair. The Island saves its neighbors from any calamity as it is situated like an entrance. Before independence this island was used by the Britishers as a major place to live in and communicate as Andaman was away from India and there could be no possible way for the Indians to protest them. It had the church, power house, printing press, and British head quarters. Which were all washed off during World War II and Tsunami. The buildings built here had plate and bolt arrangement. In between each set of brick there is an iron plate which makes it more strong and reinforce the building. This is the reason why we still have a part of the building to see. Another fact about this island is that there is sweet water available after a particular depth and this served the citizens for their drinking purpose. Guess what they used for other domestic purpose? Don’t be shocked but it is Bisleri water. They had separate boilers to purify the rain water and used it for these purpose.
This place also has a natural swimming pool. The construction is such that it has two vents at top and bottom of the pool. In Andaman per day there will be a high tide and low tide. During high tide, the vents are opened to fill the pool and closes automatically. After the water is dirty the vents are opened to send them out.
Central Jail:
The "kaala paani" jail situated in Port Blair was a place where they arrested and tortured our Indian freedom fighters. The construction of the Cellular Jail was such that it has 7 wings which has a star shaped plan. At the center there is a tower where guards keep watch of the inmates. A large bell was kept in the tower to raise the alarm in any eventuality. The construction started in 1896 and was completed in 1906. The estimated time of construction was only the 3 years but since the freedom fighters were forced to construct their fellow men prison it took a long time of 10 years. The bricks used to build the building were brought from Burma, known today as Myanmar. The name, "cellular jail", derived from the solitary cells which prevented any prisoner from communicating with any other. They were all in solitary confinement. Two out of the seven wings of the Jail were demolished during the Japanese regime. In 1945, the British resumed control with the end of the World War II. Another two wings of the jail were demolished after India achieved independence. The remaining three wings and the central tower were therefore converted into a National Memorial in 1969.
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