Viper Island

Before the cellular jail was constructed, a place was needed by the British for giving severe punishment, and that is how Viper Island came into the picture. The Ross Island was the administrative centre, and only a jail was needed which was situated close to Port Blair and Ross Island to trap and teach a lesson to the freedom fighters. The Viper Island was a part of the great Independence history of India and had seen the pain and sacrifices made by the Indian nationals and freedom fighters involved in the freedom struggle.

The island was a small patch of land where the jail was constructed on a hillock. This jail was different from all the others as it was surrounded by water and was as quiet as a mouse. Women were detained in the premises and the prisoners were put through unimaginable tortures.

The island gets its name from the vessel in which Lt. Archibald Blair arrived in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the year 1789 named Viper. This vessel met with an accident, and its remains were found near the island. It was one of the most visited places in Andaman Island once, but now it is just wrecked. The jail ruins were worsened during the Tsunami of 2006. However, even today the culture and tales of the British colonial rule can be seen in the ruins of the island.