Victoria Memorial - विक्टोरिया मेमोरियल
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Located in Kolkata, India is a memorial of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom who also carried the title of Empress of India. It currently serves as a museum and a tourist attraction.
The memorial was designed by Sir William Emerson in an architectural style similar to Belfast City Hall. Earlier asked to design the building in the Italian Renaissance style, Emerson was against the exclusive use of European styles and incorporated Mughal elements in the structure. Vincent Esch was the superintending architect while Lord Redesdale and Sir David Prain designed the gardens. The work of construction was entrusted to Messrs Martin & Co. of Kolkata.
Built between 1906 and 1921, it is a majestic white marble building at the southern end of the Maidan and surrounded by a sprawling garden. A black bronze Angel of Victory, holding a bugle in her hand was placed at the apex of the dome above the Memorial. It is fixed to its pedestal with ball bearings and acts as a weathercock when the wind is strong enough. Unlike many other monuments of the British Raj in India, it is well maintained.
The Kolkata High Court has ordered the city authorities to adopt a number of measures to protect the city's historic Victoria Memorial from pollution. The court order bans fairs and public gatherings near the monument and removal of traffic signals and car parking spaces. The city's main bus terminal has been given six months to relocate. Made in the early 20th-century, the monument is a memorial to the British monarch, Queen Victoria. It is one of Kolkata's most famous monuments. Judicial Order The Victoria Memorial at night
The court order came in response to a petition filed by environmentalist Subhas Dutta who said pollution was ruining the monument. Giving their ruling, Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and RS Bandiopadhyay said no hotel or restaurant around the memorial will be allowed to cook with coal or any other fuel that emits smoke and fumes. The court said they have to use cleaner fuel such as cooking gas. The city's main bus terminus at Esplanade will have to be moved somewhere else, at least three kilometres away from the monument, the judges said. Mr Dutta has welcomed the court order and called upon the West Bengal state government and the Kolkata city municipal authorities to implement the order without any delay. "I have reasons to believe the government may try to drag its feet. They should not do that," Mr Dutta said. "This historical monument will be history if this state of affairs continues for another 25-30 years. "The pollution has to be checked, also the erosion, as there are already several cracks in the building." The environmentalist filed a case in the High Court after a report by India's Central Pollution Control Board said the elegant marble and sandstone structure was in danger of substantial damage. Mr Dutta demanded that the monument should not be rented out for public and private functions because of risk of damage. The grounds of the memorial were rented out for the wedding ceremony of the son of business tycoon Lakshmi Mittal a few years ago, leading to a public outcry.
The monument was built by British Viceroy Lord Curzon in the memory of Queen Victoria. It is said to be second only to the Taj Mahal in beauty and historical importance.
The impressive Victoria Memorial houses a collection of the British colonial period. Visitors are greeted by a life-size statue of young Victoria (By Sir Thomas Brock). There are enormous oil paintings in the Royal Gallery, illustrating episodes from queen Victoria's long, eventful life and reign and a large painting titled "The Entry of King Edward VII into Jaipur in 1876"(by a Russian artist). Also on display are books on the 'Raj', sculptures of Clive and other Governor Generals and a superb collection of paintings.
Place: Kolkata, West Bengal Significance: A splendid example of British Architecture exhibiting British artifacts Best Time to Visit: October to March.
Built entirely of white marble, Victoria Memorial, one of India's most beautiful monuments, represent a unique combination of classical European architecture and Mughal motifs. The domed and white marble museum sprawls over 64 acres and is set in a landscaped garden at the southern side of the Kolkata's maidan (ground) near Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
Designed after the Taj Mahal in Agra, it has a vast collection of pictures, statues, manuscripts, letters etc, relating to the Nawabi and British times in Bengal. The memorial was the inspiration of Lord Curzon, who in 1901, felt that his recently departed Queen Victoria, required a suitable monument to her memory. She was the first British monarch to be awarded the title of Queen-Empress of India in 1877.
The building was designed by Sir William Emerson President of the British Institute of Architects. Vincent J Esch, an assistant Engineer in the Bengal Nagpur Railway, was the superintending architect and the work of construction was entrusted to Messrs Martin and Co of Kolkata. Lord Redesdale and Sir David Prain designed the gardens. Though the construction of the building substructure began in 1904, it was completed only after 20 years at a cost of 10 million rupees. The Prince of Wales formally inaugurated it in 1921.
Set amid 64 acres of lawns, fountains, and herbaceous borders this greatest symbol of the British, houses artifacts illustrating British roots in India. The building covers an area of 103.02m by 69.49m.
196080cft of Makrana marble was brought from Jodhpur, Rajasthan for its construction. It has been calculated that a goods train about 27 km long would be required to bring the entire building materials needed for the memorial. Statues of former British rulers sculpted by Italian craftsmen that used to adorn street corners all the way along Chowringhee and the Maidan, are now scattered around the large garden of the monument.
The 'H' shaped memorial consists of numerous hybrid features; it has Italian-style statues over its entrances, Mughal domes in its corners and tall elegant open curved colonnades along its sides. There are 3000 exhibits in 25 galleries in a chamber beneath the dome. Main entrance is from the north. A bronze statue of Queen Victoria sits enthroned in bronze at the entrance marble staircase wearing the regal Order of the Star of India. Above her, a black bronze angel known as Victory, holding a bugle in her hand was placed at the apex of the dome above the Memorial and has always been regarded as a curious addition to the monument. It is fixed to its pedestal with ball bearings and rotates when the wind is strong enough.
The entrance dome is deeply graven with the text of Queen Victoria's imperial proclamation speech. Inside the memorial there is a remarkable collection of artifacts depicting British Imperialism - statues of famous British figures including Robert Clive, General Stringer Lawrence, Lord Bentick, William Makepeace Thackeray, who was born here, Florence Nightingale, Queen Mary, George V and Queen Victoria etc. Many of British India's Governors and Governor Generals are represented here in stone, dressed in Roman togas, like Clive, Warren Hastings, Cornwallis, Wellesley, Dalhousie etc.
Excellent paintings such as, Burne-Jones's portrait of Rudyard Kipling, Johann Zoffany's portrait of William Hastings and his family, Macaulay, Bishop Heber and William Hickey, Verestchagin's monumental depiction of the Prince of Wales making his grand tour of Jaipur in 1876, the works of the Victorian artists Thomas and William Daniells, paintings of Robert Clive, marriage of the Prince of Wales with Princess Alexandra are exhibited and a huge painting depicts King Edward VII entering Jaipur in a regal procession in 1876. French guns captured at the Battle of Plassey are on exhibit along with the black stone throne of the Nawab whom Clive defeated. Also on display are some Indians without discrimination. Among these are - Keshab Chandra sen, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath tagore and his grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore.
In the Royal Gallery there are many oil paintings illustrating episodes from Queen Victoria's long, eventful life and reign- her coronation in the Westminster Abbey in June 1838; her marriage with Prince Albert (1840) in the Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace; the baptism of her son, her son's wedding, her residence of Frogmore, Queen Victoria at the first Jubilee service in Westminster Abbey in 1887 and the Second Jubilee service of Queen Victoria at St. Paul's Cathedral, June 1897 etc. Some of her possessions, like the pianoforte, at which she received tuition in childhood, her personal writing desk and chair occupied for daily correspondence at Windsor, scrapbooks of her letters in Hindustani, for Queen was tutored in the language by her favorite Indian attendant Abdul Karim, the last letter she wrote to her people in India etc.
The memorial is famous for its exhibits of Indian and Western Paintings, manuscripts, postage stamps, Mughal miniatures, books that dates back to the 1870's, statues and sculptures, arms and armaments, sketches and other objects of historic value in its Museum and Art Gallery. Today it is one of the main attraction for tourists in Kolkatta. Here, on weekends, people picnic, families meet, and transiting pilgrims bring flowers to the statue of "Maharani Victoria". Two regular sound and light shows both in English and Bengali are held in the evening. The memorial is open from 1000 am to 1700pm on all weekdays except on Mondays and public holidays. For Indians the entry fee to the museum is Rs.10/-For all foreigners the entry fee to the museum is Rs.150/-. The Memorial is an autonomous body governed by a Board of Trustees with the Governor of West Bengal as the Chairperson, and is under the 'administrative control' of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
The Victoria Memorial Hall was opened in 1921. It is also a museum where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India and develop a pride in their past especially in relation to the history of Kolkata . Lord Curzon conceived it. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Kolkata, India, under the Department of Culture, Government of India. Copyright & Disclaimer: No Part of this site can be copied or reproduced in any form, without the written permission of the Curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata.The V.M.H., Kolkata and Cyber Animatrix (P) Ltd. do not own any responsibility to anybody for any loss or damage owing to the use of any information from this web site.
Victoria Memorial Hall
Phone: 91-33-2223-1890/1891
Fax: 91-33-2223-5142
VICTORIA MEMORIAL HALL
1 Queen's Way
Kolkata (Kalkutta)
West Bengal
Tel: 445154
The memorial was designed by Sir William Emerson in an architectural style similar to Belfast City Hall. Earlier asked to design the building in the Italian Renaissance style, Emerson was against the exclusive use of European styles and incorporated Mughal elements in the structure. Vincent Esch was the superintending architect while Lord Redesdale and Sir David Prain designed the gardens. The work of construction was entrusted to Messrs Martin & Co. of Kolkata.
Built between 1906 and 1921, it is a majestic white marble building at the southern end of the Maidan and surrounded by a sprawling garden. A black bronze Angel of Victory, holding a bugle in her hand was placed at the apex of the dome above the Memorial. It is fixed to its pedestal with ball bearings and acts as a weathercock when the wind is strong enough. Unlike many other monuments of the British Raj in India, it is well maintained.
BBC Report
The Kolkata High Court has ordered the city authorities to adopt a number of measures to protect the city's historic Victoria Memorial from pollution. The court order bans fairs and public gatherings near the monument and removal of traffic signals and car parking spaces. The city's main bus terminal has been given six months to relocate. Made in the early 20th-century, the monument is a memorial to the British monarch, Queen Victoria. It is one of Kolkata's most famous monuments. Judicial Order The Victoria Memorial at night
The court order came in response to a petition filed by environmentalist Subhas Dutta who said pollution was ruining the monument. Giving their ruling, Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and RS Bandiopadhyay said no hotel or restaurant around the memorial will be allowed to cook with coal or any other fuel that emits smoke and fumes. The court said they have to use cleaner fuel such as cooking gas. The city's main bus terminus at Esplanade will have to be moved somewhere else, at least three kilometres away from the monument, the judges said. Mr Dutta has welcomed the court order and called upon the West Bengal state government and the Kolkata city municipal authorities to implement the order without any delay. "I have reasons to believe the government may try to drag its feet. They should not do that," Mr Dutta said. "This historical monument will be history if this state of affairs continues for another 25-30 years. "The pollution has to be checked, also the erosion, as there are already several cracks in the building." The environmentalist filed a case in the High Court after a report by India's Central Pollution Control Board said the elegant marble and sandstone structure was in danger of substantial damage. Mr Dutta demanded that the monument should not be rented out for public and private functions because of risk of damage. The grounds of the memorial were rented out for the wedding ceremony of the son of business tycoon Lakshmi Mittal a few years ago, leading to a public outcry.
The monument was built by British Viceroy Lord Curzon in the memory of Queen Victoria. It is said to be second only to the Taj Mahal in beauty and historical importance.
The impressive Victoria Memorial houses a collection of the British colonial period. Visitors are greeted by a life-size statue of young Victoria (By Sir Thomas Brock). There are enormous oil paintings in the Royal Gallery, illustrating episodes from queen Victoria's long, eventful life and reign and a large painting titled "The Entry of King Edward VII into Jaipur in 1876"(by a Russian artist). Also on display are books on the 'Raj', sculptures of Clive and other Governor Generals and a superb collection of paintings.
Place: Kolkata, West Bengal Significance: A splendid example of British Architecture exhibiting British artifacts Best Time to Visit: October to March.
Built entirely of white marble, Victoria Memorial, one of India's most beautiful monuments, represent a unique combination of classical European architecture and Mughal motifs. The domed and white marble museum sprawls over 64 acres and is set in a landscaped garden at the southern side of the Kolkata's maidan (ground) near Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
Designed after the Taj Mahal in Agra, it has a vast collection of pictures, statues, manuscripts, letters etc, relating to the Nawabi and British times in Bengal. The memorial was the inspiration of Lord Curzon, who in 1901, felt that his recently departed Queen Victoria, required a suitable monument to her memory. She was the first British monarch to be awarded the title of Queen-Empress of India in 1877.
The building was designed by Sir William Emerson President of the British Institute of Architects. Vincent J Esch, an assistant Engineer in the Bengal Nagpur Railway, was the superintending architect and the work of construction was entrusted to Messrs Martin and Co of Kolkata. Lord Redesdale and Sir David Prain designed the gardens. Though the construction of the building substructure began in 1904, it was completed only after 20 years at a cost of 10 million rupees. The Prince of Wales formally inaugurated it in 1921.
Set amid 64 acres of lawns, fountains, and herbaceous borders this greatest symbol of the British, houses artifacts illustrating British roots in India. The building covers an area of 103.02m by 69.49m.
196080cft of Makrana marble was brought from Jodhpur, Rajasthan for its construction. It has been calculated that a goods train about 27 km long would be required to bring the entire building materials needed for the memorial. Statues of former British rulers sculpted by Italian craftsmen that used to adorn street corners all the way along Chowringhee and the Maidan, are now scattered around the large garden of the monument.
The 'H' shaped memorial consists of numerous hybrid features; it has Italian-style statues over its entrances, Mughal domes in its corners and tall elegant open curved colonnades along its sides. There are 3000 exhibits in 25 galleries in a chamber beneath the dome. Main entrance is from the north. A bronze statue of Queen Victoria sits enthroned in bronze at the entrance marble staircase wearing the regal Order of the Star of India. Above her, a black bronze angel known as Victory, holding a bugle in her hand was placed at the apex of the dome above the Memorial and has always been regarded as a curious addition to the monument. It is fixed to its pedestal with ball bearings and rotates when the wind is strong enough.
The entrance dome is deeply graven with the text of Queen Victoria's imperial proclamation speech. Inside the memorial there is a remarkable collection of artifacts depicting British Imperialism - statues of famous British figures including Robert Clive, General Stringer Lawrence, Lord Bentick, William Makepeace Thackeray, who was born here, Florence Nightingale, Queen Mary, George V and Queen Victoria etc. Many of British India's Governors and Governor Generals are represented here in stone, dressed in Roman togas, like Clive, Warren Hastings, Cornwallis, Wellesley, Dalhousie etc.
Excellent paintings such as, Burne-Jones's portrait of Rudyard Kipling, Johann Zoffany's portrait of William Hastings and his family, Macaulay, Bishop Heber and William Hickey, Verestchagin's monumental depiction of the Prince of Wales making his grand tour of Jaipur in 1876, the works of the Victorian artists Thomas and William Daniells, paintings of Robert Clive, marriage of the Prince of Wales with Princess Alexandra are exhibited and a huge painting depicts King Edward VII entering Jaipur in a regal procession in 1876. French guns captured at the Battle of Plassey are on exhibit along with the black stone throne of the Nawab whom Clive defeated. Also on display are some Indians without discrimination. Among these are - Keshab Chandra sen, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Rabindranath tagore and his grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore.
In the Royal Gallery there are many oil paintings illustrating episodes from Queen Victoria's long, eventful life and reign- her coronation in the Westminster Abbey in June 1838; her marriage with Prince Albert (1840) in the Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace; the baptism of her son, her son's wedding, her residence of Frogmore, Queen Victoria at the first Jubilee service in Westminster Abbey in 1887 and the Second Jubilee service of Queen Victoria at St. Paul's Cathedral, June 1897 etc. Some of her possessions, like the pianoforte, at which she received tuition in childhood, her personal writing desk and chair occupied for daily correspondence at Windsor, scrapbooks of her letters in Hindustani, for Queen was tutored in the language by her favorite Indian attendant Abdul Karim, the last letter she wrote to her people in India etc.
The memorial is famous for its exhibits of Indian and Western Paintings, manuscripts, postage stamps, Mughal miniatures, books that dates back to the 1870's, statues and sculptures, arms and armaments, sketches and other objects of historic value in its Museum and Art Gallery. Today it is one of the main attraction for tourists in Kolkatta. Here, on weekends, people picnic, families meet, and transiting pilgrims bring flowers to the statue of "Maharani Victoria". Two regular sound and light shows both in English and Bengali are held in the evening. The memorial is open from 1000 am to 1700pm on all weekdays except on Mondays and public holidays. For Indians the entry fee to the museum is Rs.10/-For all foreigners the entry fee to the museum is Rs.150/-. The Memorial is an autonomous body governed by a Board of Trustees with the Governor of West Bengal as the Chairperson, and is under the 'administrative control' of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
The Victoria Memorial Hall was opened in 1921. It is also a museum where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India and develop a pride in their past especially in relation to the history of Kolkata . Lord Curzon conceived it. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Kolkata, India, under the Department of Culture, Government of India. Copyright & Disclaimer: No Part of this site can be copied or reproduced in any form, without the written permission of the Curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata.The V.M.H., Kolkata and Cyber Animatrix (P) Ltd. do not own any responsibility to anybody for any loss or damage owing to the use of any information from this web site.
Contact detail
CuratorVictoria Memorial Hall
Phone: 91-33-2223-1890/1891
Fax: 91-33-2223-5142
VICTORIA MEMORIAL HALL
1 Queen's Way
Kolkata (Kalkutta)
West Bengal
Tel: 445154
Victoroia Memorial Museum
Queen's Way
Kolkata
E-mail : victomem@cal2.vsnl.net.in
or Fax To Curator
Tele -Fax: +91-33-2223-5142
Phone: +91-33-2223-1890/189
Timing - 10.00 AM. To 4.30 PM.(March to October it close at 3.30 PM.
Admission Fee : For Indians - INR. 10.00 For Foreigners - INR. 150.00
Queen's Way
Kolkata
E-mail : victomem@cal2.vsnl.net.in
or Fax To Curator
Tele -Fax: +91-33-2223-5142
Phone: +91-33-2223-1890/189
Timing - 10.00 AM. To 4.30 PM.(March to October it close at 3.30 PM.
Admission Fee : For Indians - INR. 10.00 For Foreigners - INR. 150.00