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

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

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

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

. 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 Himalayas, Himalayan foothi ...

close to the twin cities of

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

–

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

en route to the historical town of

Taxila Taxila or Takshashila () is a city in the Pothohar region of Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area and is just south of the ...

. The granite

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

, approximately tall, stands on a rocky prominence overlooking the

Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, 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. It r ...

connecting Islamabad with

Peshawar Peshawar is the capital and List of cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by population, largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the sixth most populous city of Pakistan, with a district p ...

. 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 Lisburn ( ; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with t ...

, 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 The Royal School is a mixed boarding school located in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It was one of a number of 'free schools' created by James I of England, James I (otherwise known as James VI of Scotland) in 1608 to provide an ed ...

, 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 that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

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

First Anglo-Afghan War The First Anglo-Afghan War () 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 dispute between emir Dost Mohammad Khan ( Bara ...

(1839–42). After the Anglo-Afghan War, he was appointed Political Officer in

Kashmir Kashmir ( or ) is the Northwestern Indian subcontinent, northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term ''Kashmir'' denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir P ...

and then District Commissioner in the Sangar area of

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

. 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 around the Firozpur district of Punjab. It resulted in the defeat and partial subjugation of the Sikh empire and cession of Jammu ...

(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 East India Company which took place from 1848 to 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab region, Punjab and what sub ...

(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 journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

'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 Scottish author and screenwriter. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Harry Paget Flashman, Flashman. Over the course of his career he wrote eleven n ...

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 bu ...

''. He also appears as one of the main characters in

James Leasor James Leasor (20 December 1923 – 10 September 2007) was a prolific British writer of historical books and thrillers. He was one of the best-selling British authors of the 20th century. After beginning his writing career as a journalist he wro ...

's novel about the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...

, ''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 Bannu (, ), also called Bani Gul or Bani (, ) is a city located on the Kurram River in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the capital of Bannu Division. Bannu's residents are primarily members of the Banuchi tribe and speak Banuch ...

(

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

) from 1852 to 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 (, ), historically known as Ghaznayn () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana (), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan with a population of around 190,000 people. The city is strategica ...

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 Year 956 ( CMLVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Summer – Emperor Constantine VII appoints Nikephoros Phokas to commander of the Byzantine field army (''Domestic o ...

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