Shaurya Memorial to be built on 23 acres adjoining Kala Amb site

Panipat, famous as the battleground for three historic battles, is on track to become home to a Shaurya Memorial. Spread across 23 acres of land, including six acres of the Kala Amb Memorial, the monument will be developed near Ugrakheri village on the Panipat-Sanoli-Haridwar highway.

The process of purchasing approximately 17 acres of land for the project has almost been completed. The memorial will be constructed jointly by the state governments of Haryana and Maharashtra. Meanwhile, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has decided to improve the basic amenities available at the Kala Amb Memorial and bring them at par with international standards for visitors.

Panipat has witnessed three historic battles. The First Battle of Panipat was fought on April 21,1526, between Ibrahim Khan Lodi and Zahir-ud-din Babur, an invader from Kabul. Lodi, the last ruler of Delhi Sultanate was killed in this battle. The Second Battle of Panipat was fought on November 5, 1556, between Akbar (under regent Bairam Khan) and Hemchander, alias Hemu Vikramditya, the last Hindu emperor of Delhi. Famously, an arrow struck his eyes, causing his army to retreat, resulting in Akbar winning the battle.

The Third Battle of Panipat was fought on January 14, 1761, between the Maratha Empire, led by Sadashivrao Bhau, and Ahmad Shah Abdali. The battle lasted for about five months and cost over 70,000 Maratha warriors their lives.

The Kala Amb Memorial was constructed at the spot where Sadashiv Bhau was killed in action. It is said that so much blood was shed during the battle that a mango tree, irrigated by blood, turned black. Kala Amb was developed as a war memorial to honour the sacrifices of the Maratha warriors. The memorial extends across 6 acres of land and is protected by the ASI.

Approximately 5,000 visitors used to visit the memorial in a month, according to sources. Particularly, scores of people from Maharashtra used to visit this site to pay homage to their ancestors. A programme is organised by the Yodha Smarak Samiti and Shaurya Smarak Committee on January 14 of each year to honour the memory of the Maratha warriors who laid down their lives in Panipat’s third battle.

The new Shaurya Memorial will be developed adjacent to the Kala Amb Memorial. Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis visited the memorial during a programme on January 14 last year and announced that a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji would be established at the site. The CM’s Additional Chief Secretary Vikas Kharge had visited the proposed site in June last year and reviewed the project. Following these developments, approximately 17 acres of land has been purchased by the Information and Public Relations Department, Haryana. Nearly all of the land has been successfully registered in its name.

Sunil Kumar, District Information & Public Relation Officer (DIPRO), said that the process for purchasing land had almost been completed for the construction of the Shaurya Memorial. Gaurav Narwal, senior conservation assistant , ASI, said Kala Amb was a historical war memorial and was being protected by the ASI.

Apart from the memorial, a big park is developed and monitored via CCTV surveillance. The headquarter has decided to provide world-class quality of basic amenities, including potable water, toilets and arrangements for specially-abled individuals, for all visitors and international students to promote footfall at the memorial and its adjoining sites so the monument can be restores to its former glory.