India
Ross Island
A British colonial headquarters slowly being digested by ficus roots in the Andaman Sea.
The ballroom ceiling has caved in. Banyan roots have split the church walls. Spotted deer wander through what was once the administrative headquarters of the British Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Ross Island is a ten-minute ferry ride from Port Blair and a century of decay from its imperial prime.
Ross Island served as the administrative capital of the British penal colony in the Andaman Islands from the 1850s until it was abandoned after a 1941 earthquake and subsequent Japanese occupation during WWII. The British built a commissioner's residence, a church, a printing press, a bakery, a swimming pool, and a ballroom — all now consumed by ficus and banyan trees whose aerial roots have dismantled the masonry from within. Japanese bunkers and tunnels remain visible beneath the undergrowth. The island was renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018. Spotted deer introduced by the British now roam freely among the ruins, and peacocks display on the crumbling tennis courts. A small museum near the jetty displays photographs of the island's colonial and wartime history.
Solo
Walking through ruins being consumed by jungle, with deer as your only company, is a contemplative solo experience.
Couple
The romantic decay — crumbling ballrooms, root-split churches, peacocks on old lawns — gives Ross Island an atmosphere that couples find hauntingly memorable.
Friends
The colonial history, the WWII tunnels, and the photographic opportunities make Ross Island a compelling half-day excursion from Port Blair.
- The British built a ballroom, a church, a printing press, and a swimming pool — all now consumed by banyan roots.
- Japanese forces occupied the island during WWII — bunkers and tunnels remain hidden beneath the undergrowth.
- Spotted deer roam freely through the ruins — they own the island now, unfazed by the few daily visitors.
- A ten-minute ferry from Port Blair drops you on an island that feels abandoned for centuries, not decades.
Andaman fish curry laced with local spices and coconut milk at Port Blair stalls.
Grilled lobster caught hours earlier from the coral reefs ringing the island chain.
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