Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, Calcutta
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Victoria Memorial
Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) is home
to one of the most fascinating structures in
India,
the Victoria Memorial. The Victoria
Memorial reawakens the opulent past of the
Raj era.
Built in white marble, the
structure is a marriage between Mughal and
European architecture.
Historians and
scholars claim that the Victoria Memorial is
an unsuccessful attempt by the British to
surpass the Taj Mahal.
The idea was first thought of by Lord Curzon
as a tribute to British Queen. He decided to
build a structure of humungous proportions
on British India’s capital of Kolkata.
Unfortunately, once the design of the
building was drawn up by Sir William
Emerson, raising money for this endeavor was
not so easy. Fortunately, Lord Curzon was
eventually able to raise the necessary funds
from India’s princes and its people.
On January 4, 1906 the Prince of Wales laid
the foundation stone in Kolkata at the
Memorial at and on December 21, 1921, the
Victoria Memorial was inaugurated by the
Duke of Windsor.
Aside from the Royal Gallery, the Kolkata
Gallery is a definite must-see when going to
the Victoria Memorial. It features a
comprehensive history of Kolkata, from its
founding by Job Charnock up until the time
when the capital of British India was
transferred to the city of New Delhi in
1911.
