Port Blair

Port Blair city tour

Chatham Saw Mill

Chatham Saw Mill was built in the year in 1883 and more than a century later it is still functioning as Asia’s Oldest Saw Mill. The mill is named after the island Chatham where it is located. Chatham is like an extension of Port Blair connected by a bridge. It is the gateway to Mt Harriet and other smaller islands like Bambooflat and Hope town.

The Saw Mill and the museum inside are open to the public all through the year from 8 am to 2 pm except on Mondays.

History of Chatham Saw Mill

The sawmill was established in 1883 to cater to the growing need for wood in the area as the island settlement in Port Blair slowly expanded. The British also used the mill to process huge amounts of timber for London, New York, and various other European cities. It is interesting to know that the crimson walls of Buckingham Palace in London are made from the Padouk wood of the Andaman Islands processed in Chatham Saw Mill.

The Japanese attacked the Mill in March 1942 which led to the mass killing of unsuspecting workers. The Japanese made bunkers inside the sawmill for 3 years between 1942 and 1945 using it as a base during World War II. One of the bunkers can still be seen just after the memorial monument.

Museum and Souvenir Shop

The small museum within the mill complex has a collection of artifacts about the island, flora, fauna, and information on how the mill was built more than a hundred years ago. There is a preserved dolphin, an old mariner’s compass, and the skull of a sea cow among samples of wood. There are many intricately carved and aesthetically designed items made from Padauk Wood on display.

Samudrika Naval Museum

Run by the Indian Navy, this diverse museum provides helpful insight into the Andaman’s ecosystems, tribal communities, flora, and fauna. There are a few small marine aquariums also. On display are hawksbill turtle shells recovered from poachers and, outside, the skeleton of a young blue whale washed ashore on Kamorta Island in the Nicobars.

Anthropological museum

The Anthropology museum provides a thorough and sympathetic portrait of the islands’ indigenous tribal communities. On display are geometric patterns etched into a Jarawa chest guard, the skull left in a Sentinelese lean-to, the Andamanese shell waist girdle, and the totemic spirits represented by Nicobarese shamanic sculptures. There are models of the huts constructed in the forests by the different tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Sagarika Emporium for shopping

Sagarika Emporium is the best place for shopping at Port Blair. The Emporium is run by the Industries Department and primarily deals in Sea Shell products, wooden showpieces, various ornaments made by Pearls, and locally grown spices. There are a few more private shopping outlets by the General name of Sagarika is at Port Blair. However, all these private shopping outlets are having subtle spelling differences in its name to save themselves from Legal hassle. The key to identifying Government-run Sagarika Emporium is that it is co-located with Khadi Gramodyog Outlet in the same building. The Government-owned Sagarika Emporium has the best collection of Conch and seashell products in Andaman. They also have a selling outlet in Port Blair Airport, where prices are the same as of its city outlet.

Joggers Park

Joggers Park is located at a hilltop with a beautiful view of the runway of Port Blair airport. This is an ideal place to sit back and relax and do some morning work. The illuminated view of the city from the park at night is also worth it.

Fisheries Aquarium

The fisheries aquarium in the water sports complex hosts many rare species of fishes found in the Andaman sea. There is also a famous seafood restaurant adjacent to the museum.