Mangal Pandey Park stands on the ground where the 1857 uprising effectively began. The bronze statue of Mangal Pandey dominates the park — he is shown with his musket raised, the moment before he fired at the British officers who had come to disarm him. The parade ground where the 34th Bengal Native Infantry was stationed stretched across this area, and a few colonial-era structures from the cantonment survive in the surrounding streets.
The park is small and well maintained. It is mostly used by local residents in the mornings and evenings, which makes for a more atmospheric visit than during the middle of the day. A few information boards in Bengali and English provide the historical background. The Hooghly is visible from the park's eastern edge.