Chennai: Among the priceless possessions of a museum located in the centuries-old Fort St George area of Chennai is a vintage Indian tricolour that carries the rare honour of having been hoisted on August 15, 1947, when a free India was born. Housed in Fort Museum, it is made of pure silk and measures about 3.5-metre long and 2.4-metre wide, according to the Culture Ministry. This national treasure is "one of the first flags" that was hoisted on August 15, 1947, it said. "This is the only surviving flag of India, on display, which was hoisted in 1947. The flag is the testament of the entire struggle that Indians went through to achieve freedom," the ministry said in a statement on Monday. The flag was hoisted on August 15, 1947, at 5.30 am at Fort St George, it said.
The PIB Culture also shared a post on X along with a few photographs of the museum gallery with the flag on display. Located at the edge of Chennai along the Coromandel Coast, the origins of the fort can be traced back to the history of the city itself. The fort was completed on April 23, 1644, on St George's Day, and christened St George Fort, according to the website of Tamil Nadu Tourism. The citadel led to the creation of a new settlement area called George Town, which enveloped the villages and eventually became Madras, or the modern-day Chennai.
The fort was armed, locked and loaded through both the World Wars and most of the 18th and 19th centuries, to keep the French forces and local rulers at bay. A symbol of power at that time, its six-metre-high walls withstood several assaults in the 18th century. "One of the main highlights of Fort St George is its museum. Known as Fort Museum, it houses a diverse collection of antiquities in well-organised galleries. As many as 3,661 artefacts from different ages of modern Indian history are displayed across three floors, which are divided into 10 galleries," the website says.
The Culture Ministry statement said the Indian Independence Gallery at the museum also showcases the evolution of the Indian flag and tales behind the national flag. The Fort Museum was organised and opened to the public on January 31, 1948. "The idea of setting up a museum in this building to house the relics of the Raj found scattered in the Fort was mooted in 1946 by Col D M Reid of old Madras Guards. In the reception lobby of the museum, a drawing shows the evolution of the fort and its construction since 1640. This museum now has more than 3,500 artefacts of the colonial period; the best among them are displayed in nine galleries," it added.
