Nicholson Cemetery, formerly known as the Old Delhi Military Cemetery and the Kashmere Gate Cemetery, is a

Christian cemetery A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation and practiced inhumation almost exclusively. Today this opposi ...

located in Kashmere Gate, Delhi, India. It is located near the

Kashmere Gate Metro Station Kashmere Gate, also known as Kashmiri Gate, is a key metro station on the Delhi Metro network. It features a unique design with an elevated structure for the Red Line and underground facilities for both the Yellow and Violet Lines. As a trans ...

and west of the

Inter State Bus Terminal In India, an Inter State Bus Terminal or Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) is a bus terminus that provides bus service to destinations located in other states. An ISBT may also provide bus services to destinations in the same state. Mostly ISBT term ...

. It is the site of the earliest known Christian burials in

Delhi NCR The National Capital Region (NCR; ) is a region centred upon the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi in India. It encompasses Delhi and several districts surrounding it from the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The NCR and ...

. The cemetery was established in 1857 and is named after Brigadier-General John Nicholson, a

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

military officer who played a pivotal role during the

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

. The St. James' Church, who owns the cemetery, is the oldest place of worship for the Christian community of Delhi. The church along with cemetery, St. Stephen's hostel, and the Victorian era houses of Kashmere Gate neighbourhood were once considered to be a "centripetal" part of Christians in Delhi. According to the Indian Paranormal Society the headless apparition of John Nicholson haunts the place. There are also other speculations that the ghosts of Europeans haunt the place.

History

Nicholson Cemetery is located in Kashmere Gate near metro station and west of Inter State Bus Terminal. Established in 1857, Nicholson Cemetery is the oldest Christian cemetery in Delhi NCR. It was known as the Old Delhi Military Cemetery or Kashmere Gate Cemetery until the early 1900s, when it was named after John Nicholson, a brigadier-general in the British Army. John Nicholson was born on 11 December 1821 in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, Ireland. His father, Alexander Nicholson, was a physician. The Nicholson family moved to

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 ...

, after the demise of Alexander in 1830. Nicholson was afterwards sent to the college at

Dungannon Dungannon (, ) is a town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh) and had a population of 16,282 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2021 Census. The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Counci ...

. His maternal uncle, Sir

James Weir Hogg Sir James Weir Hogg, 1st Baronet PC (7 September 1790 – 27 May 1876), was an Irish-born businessman, lawyer and politician and Chairman of the East India Company. Early life Hogg was born in Lisburn, County Antrim, Ireland, on 7 September 17 ...

, obtained a cadetship for him in the

Bengal Infantry The regiments of Bengal Native Infantry, alongside the regiments of Bengal European Infantry, were the regular infantry components of the East India Company's Bengal Army from the raising of the first Native battalion in 1757 to the passing in ...

. He joined for duty at

Banaras Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

, and was attached to the 41st native infantry. In December 1839, he was posted to the 27th native infantry at

Firozpur Firozpur, (pronunciation: ɪroːzpʊr also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in the Firozpur District of Punjab, India. After the Partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan bor ...

. He served 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 ...

(1839–1842) and

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 ...

(1845-1846), but he was best known for his pivotal role in the Indian Mutiny of 1857 especially during the

Siege of Delhi The siege of Delhi was a decisive conflict of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The rebellion against the authority of the East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but was essentially sparked by the mass uprising by the ...

. The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

sepoy ''Sepoy'' () is a term related to ''sipahi'', denoting professional Indian infantrymen, traditionally armed with a musket, in the armies of the Mughal Empire and the Maratha. In the 18th century, the French East India Company and its Euro ...

s of the

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 ...

's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and

central India Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Zonal Council, established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as Uttar Prades ...

, with the major hostilities confined to present-day

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, Bihar, northern

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

, and the Delhi region. Quote: "The 1857 rebellion was by and large confined to northern Indian Gangetic Plain and central India.", , and Nicholson was deputy-commissioner at

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 ...

during that time. He played an instrumental role during the Siege of Delhi, one of the decisive conflicts of the rebellion. The assault of Delhi took place on 14 September 1857, and Nicholson was selected to command the main storming party. He was shot in chest by a sepoy of rebellions. He was carried to a hospital tent, but after lingering a few days he died of his wounds on 23 September. The number of casualties resulted from the Siege of Delhi created the rising demand for a Christian cemetery in the area. A new burial-ground was opened in front of the Kashmere Gate, near to

Ludlow Castle Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the Ludlow, town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy (died 1085), Wal ...

. Nicholson was among the first people who were buried there. A white marble slab from the

Red Fort The Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila () is a historic Mughal Empire, Mughal fort in Delhi, India, that served as the primary residence of the Mughal emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1639, fo ...

was taken to build his tombstone and epitaph on it reads: Nicholson Cemetery

Renovation

The British High Commission in India renovated the cemetery in 2006. It hired British multinational security services company

G4S G4S is a British multinational private security company headquartered in London, England. The company was set up in July 2004 when London-based Securicor amalgamated with Danish firm Group 4 Falck. The company offers a range of services, in ...

(formerly Group 4 Securicor) to provide security.

Notable graves

Camille Bulcke Camille Bulcke (1 September 1909 – 17 August 1982) was a Belgian Jesuit missionary in India who came to be known as "India's most renowned Christian Hindi scholar". Early life Camille Bulcke was born in Ramskapelle, a village in Knokke-Heist m ...

* Everard Lisle-Phillipps * John Nicholson * John Purcell *

Philip Salkeld Philip Salkeld VC (13 October 1830 – 10 October 1857) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He w ...

* Anil Wilson * Eugenie Grosup

References

Bibliography

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External links