Four allegorical sculptures namely, Art, Architecture, Justice and Charity surround the central dome. The ‘Angel of Victory’ is mounted on huge ball bearings on top of the central dome which rotate with the wind.
The memorial stands at a height of 200 feet including 16 feet height of the ‘Angel of Victory’ placed on top of the central dome. The construction of the memorial was commissioned to Messrs, Martin & Co. The architecture of the heritage monument is based on Indo- Saracenic revivalist style with a mix of influences from Egyptian, Venetian, Deccan and Islamic elements. He was assisted by supervising architect, Vincent Esch.
William Emerson, the then President of the Royal Institute of British Architects was the chief architect of Victoria Memorial, and built it out of white Makrana marble, sourced from Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India. The memorial gallery and the gardens surrounding its premises are spread across an area of 64 acres.Īs one walks through the corridors of the hall, a certain sense of pride fills in just by imagining what might these corridors look like when royalty or dignitaries strolled around. Other than these, the gallery also displays a host of valuable collection of paintings and original manuscripts, as well as memorabilia of viceroys and governor generals who held important administrative positions during the Raj. The idea of the monument was conceptualized by Lord George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston and Viceroy of India as a ‘stately’ memorial for deceased Queen Victoria, the first Empress of British India.īuilt as a memorial, the monument now serves as a museum that houses original artefacts that once belonged to the Empress Queen. The white marble monument is a perfect representation of sheer magnificence that entices its visitors and leaves them awestruck. In the heart of the bustling metro city of Kolkata, Victoria Memorial stands as a reminiscence of erstwhile colonial grandeur. If there is one place in Kolkata that should top everyone’s list of places to visit, it is the Victoria Memorial, one of the finest pieces of architecture.
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