A place of memory above Brighton
Up on Patcham Downs, just north of Brighton, a white marble dome stands against the skyline. This is the Chattri - “umbrella” in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu. It marks the exact place where 53 Hindu and Sikh soldiers from the Indian Army were cremated in 1915 after dying in Brighton’s war hospitals.
It is a quiet place, but it holds a far wider story. The Chattri is not just a memorial. It is a point where Brighton meets the history of the First World War and the lives of men who came from across the Indian subcontinent.
In 1914 and 1915, over a million soldiers from undivided India fought for the British Empire.
Many were wounded in the early fighting in France and Belgium. Brighton became part of their story when the town was turned into a centre for medical care.
As explored in the site’s story on the Royal Pavilion hospitals, the Pavilion, the Dome, the Corn Exchange, York Place School and even the workhouse were all used to treat wounded soldiers. Around 12,000 Indian troops passed through the town between late 1914 and early 1916.
People at the time began to call the town “Doctor Brighton”. Care went beyond medicine. The hospitals made space for faith and daily life, with separate kitchens, places to pray, interpreters, and even a temporary gurdwara. For men far from home, these details mattered.
Loss, rites and remembrance
Not all survived. Seventy-four Indian soldiers died in Brighton.
Their final rites were carried out with care and respect. Fifty-three Hindu and Sikh soldiers were cremated on open-air funeral pyres on the Downs above Patcham. Muslim soldiers were buried at the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking. The ashes of those cremated were scattered at sea, linking their memory to the place where they had been treated.
This part of the story sits alongside other global histories connected to Brighton, including those explored in the site’s piece on Brighton and the profits of slavery, where the city’s past is also tied to events far beyond Sussex.
The idea of a memorial began during the war itself. Lieutenant Das Gupta of the Indian Medical Service and Brighton’s mayor, John Otter, wanted something permanent on the cremation site. It would honour the dead and mark Brighton’s role in their care.
Work began in August 1920 and the structure was completed later that year. On 1 February 1921, the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VIII, came to unveil it.
Building the Chattri
The Chattri was designed in an Indian style, shaped like a domed pavilion. Made from white Sicilian marble, it stands about 29 feet high, with eight columns supporting the canopy. Beneath it, granite blocks mark the original cremation site.
The design reflects Indian funerary architecture, not as decoration, but as a way of honouring the men according to their own traditions.
The inscription, written in English, Hindi and Punjabi, makes its purpose clear. It remembers the Indian soldiers who died in the Great War and marks the place where their funeral rites took place.
What the Chattri means today
For a time, the site was quiet. But since the 1950s, people have gathered here again each year. Every June, a remembrance service brings together veterans, local residents and members of Britain’s South Asian communities. Prayers are shared, wreaths are laid, and people walk the same hillside to remember.
This ongoing act of remembrance connects closely with the work seen across the site’s
Brighton & Hove Black History stories, where the aim is to make sure these histories are recognised and not forgotten.
Some families connected to the soldiers still travel long distances to attend. For them, this is not distant history.
Over time, the meaning of the Chattri has grown. For many people of South Asian heritage, it is a rare place in Britain that reflects familiar traditions and marks a real cremation ground. For Brighton, it is a reminder that the town once became a place of care during a global conflict.
Today, the Chattri is protected as a listed structure. A memorial wall nearby records the names of the 53 men cremated here, making their presence more visible. The site is used for school visits, guided walks and quiet reflection.
Stand there for a moment and think about the journey that brought these men here. From places like Punjab and Bengal, to the trenches of France, and then to this hillside above Brighton. The Chattri holds that story in one place. It is about loss, but also about connection, and how Brighton became part of something much bigger than itself.
