Monumento all'Indiano, Florence
in Firenze, ItalyCategory: Attraction
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Piazzale dell'Indiano, 1, 50144 Firenze FI, Italy Print route »
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The Monumento all'Indiano or Monument to the Indian, more specifically "Monument to the Maratha Maharajah of Kohlapur, Rajaram Chuttraputti" consisting of a small dome, or baldacchino, over the bust of the Indian prince, located at the east end of the Parco delle Cascine, of Florence, region of Tuscany, Italy.This is a peculiar monument attached to an unusual event. In 1870, returning from London after paying his respects to Queen Victoria, the 21 year old Maharajah, Rajaram II died from a febrile illness in his hotel room in the “La Pace Hotel"His courtiers asked to conduct a cremation, or Antyesti ceremony, at the confluence of two rivers. They were able to perform a ceremony at the confluence of the Arno and stream of the Mugnone, near this site in the park. The events and the ceremony elicited a great deal of curiosity in the public.
The act of cremation, banned in Florence, led to a fierce argument among doctors and scientists as to the merits and morals of the funeral technique.The costs of the monument were financed by the British government, who employed the sculptor Charles Francis Fuller. The base has inscriptions in English, Italian, Hindi, and Punjabi.In 1972, a modern bridge was built near the site and takes the name of Ponte all'Indiano.
