Ambala’s grand memorial to 1857 uprising awaits its first visitor — PM Modi

“We want Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate the Shaheed Smarak. A project of this scale should be inaugurated by a tall leader like him. Once inaugurated, it will be the largest martyrs’ memorial in Asia,” Vij told The Indian Express.

View of shaheed smarak built to commemorate the sacrifices of the heros of the first revolt of 1857 in Ambala. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Spread across 22 acres along the Ambala-Delhi GT Road, the memorial commemorates the First War of Independence of 1857. In May, Haryana government had put the project cost at Rs 700 crore. The complex features large-scale galleries, immersive technology and installations depicting the events, battles and personalities associated with the uprising.

Inside the complex, the story moves beyond conventional displays. Galleries cover Ambala, Meerut, Jhansi, Kashmiri Gate and other locations associated with the uprising, while figures such as Rani Lakshmibai and Tatya Tope feature prominently. A dedicated tribute zone remembers those, who, the authorities say, did not receive adequate recognition in traditional historical accounts. Besides large-scale visual and technological presentations for visitors, the memorial is all set to show bazaars, battlefields and prison cells, along with projections and a water-and-light presentation. A 210-foot national flag is also planned for the complex, taller than the 206-foot memorial tower, according to the Haryana government. The official memorial website describes the complex as having 23 galleries, immersive 360-degree projections and a dual-screen water show, though earlier government descriptions referred to 22 thematic galleries.

Officials told the Indian Express that the memorial now awaits its formal inauguration.

Vij had hoped the memorial could be inaugurated during Modi’s visit to Kurukshetra in November 2025, when the PM attended a programme marking the 350th Shaheedi Diwas of Guru Tegh Bahadur. That did not happen. Another possibility emerged around Modi’s July 17, 2026 visit to Jind, where he flagged off India’s first indigenous hydrogen-powered train. “In June itself, we were told to be ready keeping in view that the PM may come to Ambala on July 17 while visiting Jind,” an official said. The inauguration, however, yet did not take place.

Galleries cover Ambala, Meerut, Jhansi, Kashmiri Gate and other locations associated with the uprising, while figures such as Rani Lakshmibai and Tatya Tope feature prominently. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

Dr Kuldeep Saini, Director of the Shaheed Smarak, told the Indian Express that a request had already been conveyed to the Prime Minister through Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.

“An appropriate channel [of invitation] needs to be followed. We can only tell the Chief Minister [Nayab Singh Saini]. He [CM] had announced in the Vidhan Sabha earlier that the Prime Minister would inaugurate it soon,” Vij told the Indian Express.

Saini inspected the memorial on May 21 and directed officials to complete the remaining works on priority.

For Vij, the memorial is more than another government infrastructure project. He has been raising the issue of Ambala’s connection with the 1857 uprising in the Haryana Assembly for decades and has consistently advocated a large memorial at Ambala Cantonment. The project has consequently become one of the minister’s most prominent initiatives in his political stronghold.

The scale of the monument too has grown considerably during its development. In 2022, the project was reported to have been under construction at an estimated cost of Rs 261 crore. The current government estimate of Rs 700 crore is several times higher.

Besides large-scale visual and technological presentations for visitors, the memorial is all set to show bazaars, battlefields and prison cells, along with projections and a water-and-light presentation. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)

The prolonged wait has also generated discussion within political circles. Vij is one of Haryana BJP’s senior-most elected leaders and has represented Ambala Cantonment seven times. His long association with the memorial has made the project being closely identified with him. Sources in the ruling party have suggested that political considerations could be one factor behind the delay, with some leaders viewing a Prime Ministerial inauguration of a project strongly associated with Vij as something that could further enhance the veteran’s stature within the party.

Ambala’s claim over the first spark of 1857

The memorial presents a claim that the first spark of the 1857 uprising was ignited in Ambala Cantonment hours before it broke out in Meerut. The claim has been repeatedly highlighted by political leaders in Haryana and is prominently incorporated into the memorial’s narrative. During a visit to the memorial on June 9, 2026, Union Minister of State B.L. Verma, citing the documents on displaye, said, “Until now, I believed what was written in history books. However, after seeing the official British documents and telegrams displayed here, it becomes clear that the spark of the uprising was ignited in Ambala Cantonment at 9 am on Sunday, May 10, 1857. Such evidence deserves its rightful place in history, and it must now be incorporated into historical records.”

Among the exhibits, Verma cited an electric telegraph message dated May 10, 1857, in which the then Ambala Deputy Commissioner informed Punjab Chief Commissioner Sir John Lawrence that troops of the 60th and 5th Regiments were “in an excited state and under arms on their parade ground”.

The Ambala-first interpretation is not universally accepted as the standard historical account. The conventional narrative places the 1857 uprising in Meerut on May 10, with the revolt there rapidly spreading to Delhi and other parts of northern India.