Kolkata as a location offers multiple places that you can explore. As a heritage city it has many cultural and social locations that reflect the rich past of the city. One such location in Kolkata is the Alipore Jail Museum. Till a very long time, the Alipore Jail was a functional jail where a lot of important personalities had once stayed as prisoners during the Independence period. Only very recently the authorities have turned this jail into a museum and now it is one of the popular spots to visit in Kolkata as well. This is a heritage building and the museum packs within itself a lot to explore. The struggles of the freedom fighters and their effort to gain independence are the main theme of this museum. With a restaurant, cafeteria and various other attractions this museum is garnering a lot of attention.
So if you are in Kolkata you must visit this New Alipore Jail Museum. You cannot decipher how enriching a visit to this location would be by only looking at the Alipore Jail Museum photos. And you need to visit here in person to check out this museum. In this article I will mention everything that you need to know about this museum. This will be a helpful read for you if you are planning a trip to this location any time soon. So keep on reading to plan a successful trip to this museum in Kolkata.
Alipore Jail Museum
Location of Alipore Jail Museum: 17 Judges Court Road, Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal
Alipore Jail Museum timings: The Alipore Jail Museum opening time is 11 am in the morning till 5:30 pm in the evening from Tuesday to Sunday. Monday is closed. The Ticket Counter closes at 5 pm. Alipore Jail Museum light show timings are from 6 pm. Ticket counter closes 10 minutes before the show time.
Alipore Jail Museum ticket price: The Alipore Jail Museum tickets are for Rs. 30 per person. Children below 3 years are free. And children above 3 years need a full ticket. The price of the light and sound show is Rs. 100 per person. Children below 3 years are free.
There is an additional parking fee for the museum. For bikes the fee is Rs. 10 per hour, for cars it is Rs. 20 per hour, for bus it is Rs. 50 per hour.
How to reach Alipore Jail Museum
By air
If you are travelling by air then the Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is the nearest airport. From the airport the Jail Museum is 24.4 km away. And it would take around 1 hour and 5 minutes to reach the museum from the Kolkata airport. It would be best to take a car or a cab to reach there conveniently from the airport. Or else you can even take buses as well to reach nearby destinations like Gariahat, Kalighat or Hazra to reach the museum. From these locations you can even get autos to reach the museum.
By train
The Sealdah Railway Station is the nearest railway Station to reach the Jail Museum. From there the museum is 8.2 km away and it would take around half an hour to reach the museum from the station. You can get buses going in that direction. Or else you can take a yellow taxi or hire a cab as well to reach the museum conveniently.
Also the Howrah Junction is another major railway station to reach the museum in Alipore. From the Howrah station the museum is 10.9 km away and you can reach there in about half an hour. Multiple buses are available to reach the nearby locations and from there you can change the bus to reach the museum. Or you can also take a cab or taxi to reach the museum from the railway station as well.
By road
It is very convenient to reach the museum by road from various parts of the city. You can take buses going towards Alipore, Hazra or Kalighat and get down at nearby stops. Also you can take autos to commute shorter distances. You can also hire a car or a cab to reach the museum. And if you are taking your own vehicle then there is parking space available so that would not be a hassle at all.
By metro
You can even travel by the metro to reach this museum. Alipore Jail Museum nearest metro station is the Jatin Das Park Metro Station in Hazra. The metro station is 1.2 km away from the museum and it would take about 6 minutes to reach there. You can take buses or take an auto to reach the museum from the metro station.
Overview of Alipore Jail Museum
The Alipore Jail or the Alipore Correctional Home is a national historic location located in the city of Kolkata. This is a 116 year old heritage building which is enlisted as the Grade I list of heritage sites in the city. The area of the Alipore Jail spreads across 15.2 acres and has characterized red walls made of bricks. Constructed in 1906, many notable freedom fighters from the Indian Struggle of Independence have stayed here as prisoners. Some of them are Subhash Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, Dinesh Gupta, Chittaranjan Das and more. Till 2019 this was a full fledged correctional home that was functional. But in 2019 the government decided to suspend this property as a jail and transferred the inmates of this home to another correctional home in Baruipur.
At present this heritage building is the Alipore Jail Museum or Alipore Independence Museum. West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation or the WBHIDCO took up the efforts to turn this place into a museum. And finally in 2022 September this museum opened its gates for the public. The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee inaugurated this museum and at present it is one of the major landmarks in the heart of Kolkata.
Special attractions in Alipore Jail Museum
At present the Alipore Jail or Correctional Home is a world class Independence Museum. The main theme of this museum is to display the struggle during India’s freedom movement. The various sections of the jail are now different display sections. It displays photographs, paintings, maps of earlier India and a lot more. With the installation of statues of great Indian freedom fighters this museum looks even more unique and attractive. Other than that the museum also houses some historical data like some official documents, letters and artifacts that elevates the importance of this location. And to attract more visitors they also have a cafeteria, food kiosks as well as an ice cream parlour inside the museum premises. Also there are some important sections inside the museum that are mentioned below.
- Entry Gate Office Building– On the ground floor of the building there is an information center, office room, ticketing room, room of the manager.
- Coffee House– The first floor of the entry gate building is a replica of the coffee house and here you can enjoy some food and beverages. This Alipore Jail Museum restaurant is definitely one of the major crowd pullers here.
- Hospital Building– The architect of the construction has chosen this building as the main exhibition building. There are souvenir rooms in this building that exhibit the various artifacts. The exhibits here include the struggle of Bengal in Indian independence, story of martyrs, behind the bars etc. Also there are tributes to Nateji Subhash Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghosh and women freedom fighters of Bengal. Along with that the building also has a Souvenir and a Coffee Shop. There is an INA themed café and this Alipore Jail Museum café is one of the major attractions as well.
- Gallows Area- The Gallows area is the location where the execution of the inmates used to take place. Many notable freedom fighters were also hanged here. At present this area has an erected platform and has beams with brackets on top. The list of martyrs includes Satyendra Nath Basu, Kanailal Dutta, Charu Chandra Bose, Promode Ranjan Chowdhury, Ananta Hari Mitra etc.
- Watchtower– There is a watchtower that offers a view of the whole Alipore Jail Complex. This watchtower was in use since British time to keep an eye on the whole complex.
- Special Cells– there are some special cells here like the Netaji Cell, Chittaranjan Cell, Nehru Cell, Bidhan Chandra Roy cell. And in each of these cells there are statues of the respective personalities which are a point of attraction here.
- Light and Sound Show in Alipore Jail Museum– From Tuesday to Sunday there is a special light and sound show in the museum that depicts the struggles during the freedom movement. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday there is only 1 show at 6 pm in Bengali language. And on Friday there are two shows which are at 6 pm in Hindi and 7 pm in Bengali. On Saturdays and Sundays also there are two shows which are 6 pm in Bengali and 7 pm in Hindi.
Wrapping Up!
The New Alipore Jail Museum Kolkata is one of the most attractive and interesting places to visit in Kolkata at present. For a history buff this can be a treasure trove of information. However for every person it would be heart wrenching to know about the struggles, tortures and injustices of the British during the freedom movement. So you must visit this museum once. Also you can grab a quick bite or enjoy a full meal inside the restaurants and cafes there. Overall a visit to this museum would be extremely interesting for sure. So make sure you are planning a visit to this museum keeping in mind the Alipore Jail Museum time table.
Also the Alipore Jail Museum reviews are really good and you cannot miss out on visiting a location like this. So when are you planning a visit to this museum in Kolkata? Also let me know if this article on the Jail Museum is helpful for you in planning a trip there.
