Hamilton Road: Only road of Indore named after Britisher

Indore is full of heritage places made during the Holkar era. Many places of the city are named after the Holkar rulers but there is only one place in the city, The Hamilton Road, in front of Krishnapura Chhatri which is named after a Britisher.

According to archaeology department official, Dr DP Pandey, the road is not big; it is just a small stretch but its significance is that hundreds of lives were saved on this road by Robert North Collie Hamilton (1802–1887) during the first war of independence in 1857.

He said, "The story behind the road is that Sir Hamilton was British Resident when Indore was ruled by Tukoji Rao Holkar II (1844 to 1859). In the year 1857, a group of freedom fighters gathered at Hamilton Road to protest against the Britishers. On the same day Hamilton was going on leave and his acting officer Sir Henry Marion Durand had taken charge."

"Sir Durand, angry at the protestors, ordered British army to attack them. When Hamilton came to know this he cancelled his sanctioned leave and ordered the army to not to attack", Dr Pandey added.

He also said that the Hamilton Statue was placed at White Church Square appreciating his work for Indore. In 1992, the statue was shifted to Lalbagh by the state archeology department.

Published on: Monday, January 02, 2023, 08:02 PM IST