Cenotaph
Encyclopedia : C : CE : CEN : Cenotaph
A ceremony at the Cenotaph, London, on Sunday 12th June 2005, remembering Irish war dead
- For other uses, see Cenotaph (disambiguation)}}}.
The Cenotaph, London
Probably the best-known cenotaph in the modern world is the one that stands in Whitehall, London. It was constructed from Portland stone between 1919-1920 by Sir Edwin Lutyens to replace an identical plaster cenotaph erected in 1919 for the Allied Victory Parade, and is a Grade I listed building. It is undecorated save for a carved wreath on each end and the words "The Glorious Dead". It is flanked on each side by the various flags of the United Kingdom, representing the Royal Navy, the British Army, the Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy. The Cenotaph is the site of the annual national service of remembrance held at 11 a.m. on Remembrance Sunday, the closest Sunday to the 11th November (Armistice Day). Uniformed service personnel (excluding fire and ambulance personnel) always salute the Cenotaph as they pass. It was, for example, very noticeably the only salute made by the Royal Horse Artillery driver of Diana, Princess of Wales's funeral carriage during the procession (on this occasion he did not salute even the Queen).Cenotaphs around the world
Cenotaphs have been erected in many countries around the world since ancient times. It was a common tradition in the ancient world, with many examples built in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and across in Northern Europe (in the shape of Neolithic barrows). The practice is still continued around the world. Lutyens' cenotaph influenced the design of many other war memorials in Britain and the British sectors of the Western Front. The monument to John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza in Dallas is often described as a cenotaph. The Cenotaph in Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong was erected in memorial of the war dead in World War I. It is also a monument of World War II. It is identical to the Cenotaph in London. A cenotaph in Yale University's Hewitt Quad (or Beinecke Plaza) honors the Men of Yale who died in battle.The cenotaph concept is by no means confined to Europe. One of the most famous non-European examples is the concrete Memorial Cenotaph at the Hiroshima Peace Park, designed by Kenzo Tange to commemorate the 200,000 victims of the August 1945 atomic bomb attack.
The Victory Square Cenotaph, located in Victory Square in Vancouver, BC, Canada was built as a memorial to the Canadian soldiers who died in World War I.
The Voortrekker Monument stands in Pretoria, South Africa. The two main points of interest in the building are the Historical Frieze and the Cenotaph Hall. The unique marble Historical Frieze is an intrinsic part of the design of the monument and is situated in the Hall of Heroes. The focus point of the monument is the cenotaph. On top of the Hall of Heroes is a dome from where one can view the interior of the monument. It is through an opening in this dome that the sun shines at twelve o'clock on 16 December each year onto the middle of the cenotaph and the words 'Ons vir Jou, Suid-Afrika' or Afrikaans for 'We for Thee, South Africa'. The ray of sunshine symbolises God's blessing on the lives and endeavours of the Voortrekkers. December 16 was chosen as it the date in 1838 that the Battle of Blood River was fought.
Chhatris (cenotaphs) in India
In India, cenotaphs are a basic element of Hindu architecture borrowed from Islam. They are termed chhatris, meaning canopy, and are found throughout the northwestern region of Rajasthan. In the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan, chhatris are built on the cremation sites of wealthy or distinguished individuals. Chhatris in Shekhawati may consist of a simple structure of one dome raised by four pillars to a building containing many domes and a basement with several rooms. In some places, the interior of the chhatris is painted in the same manner as the Havelis.
Some of the best-known chhatris in the Shekhawati region of Rajasthan are located at the following cities and towns:
- Ramgarh - Ram Gopal Poddar Chhatri
- Dundlod - The beautiful chhatri of Ram Dutt Goenka
- Bissau - The Raj ki Chhatri of the Thakurs
- Parasrampura - Rao Shekha Ji's descendent Sardul Singh's chhatri.
- Mukungarh - Shivdutta Ganeriwala Chhatri
- Churu - Taknet Chhatri
- Mahansar - The Sahaj Ram Poddar Chhatri
- Udaipurwati - Joki Das Shah ki Chhatri
- Fatehpur - Jagan Nath Singhania Chhatri
- Jaipur - Gaitore is an enclosed area in a narrow valley where the cenotaphs of Jaipur's rulers are located. The cenotaphs of the former rulers of Jaipur consist of the somewhat typical chhatri or umbrella-shaped memorials. Jai Singh Chhatri is particularly noteworthy because of the carvings that have been used to embellish it.
- Jodhpur - White marble Chhatri of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II
- Bharatpur- the cenotaphs of the members of the Jat royal family of Bharatpur, who perished whilst fighting against the British in 1825, are erected in the town of Govardhan. The chhatri of Maharaja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur has fine frescos illuminating the life of Surajmal, vividly depicting darbar and hunting scenes, royal processions and wars.
- Udaipur-. Flanked by a row of enormous stone elephants, the Lake Pichola island has an impressive chhatri carved from gray blue stone, built by Maharana Jagat Singh.
- Haldighati - a beautiful Chhatri with white marble columns, dedicated to Rana Pratap, stands here. The cenotaph dedicated to Chetak, Rana Pratap's famous horse, is also noteworthy.
- Alwar - Moosi Maharani ki Chhatri is a beautiful red sandstone and white marble cenotaph of the rulers of Alwar.
- Bundi - Suraj Chhatri and Mordi Ki Chhatri, Chaurasi Stambh Chhatri and Nath Ji ki Chhatri are located in Bundi. Rani Shyam Kumari wife of Raja Chhatrasal on the northern hill constructed the Suraj Chhatri and Mayuri the second wife of Chhatrasal on the southern hill erected Mordi Ki Chhatri.
- Bikaner - Devi Kund near Bikaner is the royal crematorium place with a number of cenotaphs. The chhatri of Maharaja Surat Singh is most imposing. It has the spectacular Rajput paintings on the ceilings.
- Nagaur - Nath Ji ki Chhatri, Amar Singh Rathore-ki-Chhatri
- Shivpuri - Intricately embellished marble chhatris erected by the Scindia rulers in Shivpuri.
- Gohad - The Jat rulers of Gohad constructed the chhatri of Maharaja Bhim Singh Rana on the Gwalior Fort.
Cenotaphs in art
Cenotaphs have also been the subject of a number of famous illustrations, notably:
- The Cenotaph to Reynold's Memory (John Constable, c. 1833)
- Elevation for Newton's Cenotaph, Perspective (Etienne-Louis Boullée, c. 1785)
- and The Cenotaph of Jean Jacques Rousseau (Hubert Robert, 1794).
See also
- War memorial
- Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- The New London School explosion cenotaph [Memorial]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.