Nicholson's Obelisk ( ur, ), or Nicholson's Memorial, is a monument in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

, erected in 1868 in honour of Brigadier-General John Nicholson, a famous military figure of the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

. It is situated at the Tarnol pass or Margalla Pass) of the

Margalla Hills The Margalla Hills () are a hill range within the Margalla Hills National Park on the northern edge of Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, just south of Haripur District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. They are part of the Himalayan foothills. Th ...

close to the twin cities of Rawalpindi–

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital ...

en route to the historical town of Taxila. The granite

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

, approximately tall, stands on a rocky prominence overlooking the

Grand Trunk Road The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. ...

connecting Islamabad with

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

. There is also a small memorial fountain at the base of the hillock on which the Memorial/Obelisk stands.

About Nicholson

Nicholson was born on 11 December 1822 in Lisburn, Ireland, the eldest son of Dr Alexander Jaffray Nicholson and Clara Hogg. Charles Allen, ''Soldier-Sahibs: The Men who made the North-West Frontier'', London: Abacus/Time Warner Books UK, 2002 ed, various references between pp. 2-328. He studied at The Royal School Dungannon, a public mixed school, located in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Nicholson joined the army of the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...

in 1839. Soon after arriving in India, he fought his first combat action in the

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War ( fa, جنگ اول افغان و انگلیس) was fought between the British Empire and the Emirate of Kabul from 1838 to 1842. The British initially successfully invaded the country taking sides in a succession d ...

(1839–42). After the Anglo-Afghan War, he was appointed Political Officer in Kashmir and then District Commissioner in the Sangar area of Sindh. He fought bravely during the

First Anglo-Sikh War The First Anglo-Sikh War was fought between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company in 1845 and 1846 in and around the Ferozepur district of Punjab. It resulted in defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession o ...

(1845–46), during which he was wounded in an attack on the Margalla Pass, where the Obelisk in his memory now stands. He distinguished himself again in the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently ...

(1848–49).

Legacy

John Nicholson became the Victorian " Hero of Delhi" and inspired several books, ballads and generations of young boys to join the army. He is referenced in numerous literary works, including

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

's Kim. Nicholson features in a number of novels about this period in history. He is mentioned by

George MacDonald Fraser George MacDonald Fraser (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was a British author and screenwriter. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Biography Fraser was born to Scottish parents in Carlisle, England, ...

in his book

Flashman in the Great Game ''Flashman in the Great Game'' is a 1975 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the fifth of the Flashman novels. Plot introduction Presented within the frame of the supposedly discovered historical Flashman Papers, this book describes the b ...

. He also appears as one of the main characters in

James Leasor James Leasor (20 December 1923 – 10 September 2007) was a prolific British author, who wrote historical books and thrillers. A number of Leasor's works were made into films, including his 1978 book, ''Boarding Party'', about an incident from ...

's novel about the Indian Mutiny, Follow the Drum, describing his death in some detail. He is also featured in James Leasor's history of the siege, 'The Red Fort'. A famous biography was also written about him by Lionel J Trotter (1897) and he comes in for conspicuous mention in the book ''Soldier-Sahibs:The Men who made the North-West Frontier'' (2001) by British author Charles Allen. Nicholson also served as Deputy Commissioner of Bannu (

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

) from 1852-1854. For his bravery and services towards British government, a tablet in a church at Bannu carries the following caption: “Gifted in mind and body, he was as brilliant in government as in arms. The snows of

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

attest his youthful fortitude; the songs of the Punjab his manly deeds; the peace of this frontier his strong rule. The enemies of his country know how terrible he was in battle, and we his friends have to recall how gentle, generous, and true he was.”

Sources

* Edwardes, Michael (1969), Bound to Exile, Praeger, p. pp100 * Leasor, James (2011) 956 The Red Fort, London: W. Lawrie, James Leasor Ltd, . * Trotter, Lionel James (1897), The Life of John Nicholson: Soldier and Administrator, J. Murray, London

References

External links

Brigadier-General John Nicolson's Obelisk
{{Cultural heritage sites in Punjab, Pakistan , state=autocollapse Monuments and memorials in Pakistan Obelisks in Pakistan Buildings and structures completed in 1868 1868 establishments in British India

About Nicholson

Legacy

See also

Sources

References

External links