Victoria Memorial is one of the most popular monuments of Kolkata Fatafat and represents the epitome of colonial era. This is a grand monument made of white marble stone and is situated in the heart of Kolkata. Victoria Memorial is one of the best monuments of Kolkata and represents the monument of Queen Victoria. Moreover, this monument possesses many invaluable belongings of the colonial era.
History and Construction
The idea behind constructing this monument was conceived by Lord Curzon in the wake of the death of Queen Victoria in January 1901. Actually, the construction of this monument was undertaken for the purpose of constructing the national gallery having the belongings of Queen Victoria. Foundation stone of this monument was laid down by Prince of Wales who later turned into King George V on January 4, 1906. But then comes the question of how long did it take to build this monument. This is because the Partition of Bengal in 1905 led to the leaving of Lord Curzon from KolkataFF, hence it took too much time to construct this monument. Construction cost of 1,05,00,000 rupees of this monument was born by Indian Princes and native states as mark of respect to Queen Victoria. Finally, this monument got inaugurated in 1921 after taking 15 years in its construction.
Architecture Design
This monument is known for its unique architecture design which is the result of Indo-Saracenic architectural style and includes elements of Egyptian, Venetian, Deccan and Islamic architecture styles. This monument possesses the style of architecture made of white Makrana marble stones imported from Jodhpur, Rajasthan. This monument possesses the best of both British and Mughal architecture style and represents the perfect example of Indian culture.
It must be noted that the dimensions of this monument are 103 meters length, 69 meters width and 56 meters height and possess 200 feet high central dome having 16-feet Angel of Victory standing on it. The uniqueness of this angel is that it rotates on ball bearings depending on the direction of wind.
Allegorical sculptures of art, architecture, justice and charity decorate the central dome of this monument.
Three allegorical sculptures of motherhood, learning and prudence above the north porch and all these sculptures are brought from Italy
Four subsidiary octagonal domed chattris around the central dome of this monument at lower level
Four domed towers at the four corners of this monument possessing high portals and roof
Royal coat of arms sculptures above the arched entrance of gallery
Two marble lion sculptures at the main entrance of this monument
Colossal bronze statue of Queen Victoria sculptured by Sir George Frampton at garden entrance
Gardens and Outdoor Features
The memorial gardens covering the area of 64 acres have been designed by Lord Redesdale and David Prain along with beautiful lawns, two large pools, bridge and garden gates designed by Vincent Esch. Many statues can be seen in grounds such as statues of Charles Cornwallis, Robert Clive, James Broun Ramsay, Arthur Wellesley, Lord William Bentinck, George Robinson and Rajendra Nath Mookherjee in addition to Edward VII memorial arch which is located at south entrance.
Museum Galleries
There are 25 galleries in this museum having nearly 30,000 invaluable objects such as rare photographs, paintings by Western and Indian artists and largest collection of antiquarian books. The major exhibits of this museum are illustrated works of William Shakespeare, books on Kathak dance and Thumri music by Wajid Ali Shah, Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam and The Arabian Nights and thus represent the treasure house of culture for the visitors of Kolkata or কলকাতা ফটাফট region.
| Gallery Name | Major Exhibits and Highlights |
|---|---|
| Queens Hall Gallery | Oil paintings and personal belongings of Queen Victoria including scenes from her coronation at Westminster Abbey, marriage to Prince Albert at St. James’ Palace, Jubilee services, her writing desk from Windsor Castle, chair, and rosewood pianoforte gifted by Edward VII |
| Portrait Gallery | Collection of paintings of influential people during British Raj, featuring masterpieces by 18th century artists Thomas Daniell and William Daniell who documented India through aquatint art – the memorial possesses the largest collection of Daniells’ paintings in the world |
| National Leader’s Gallery | Added after independence, features portraits and scenes from the life of leaders and personalities associated with Indian freedom struggle, with contributions from Austrian artist Walter Langhammer |
| Calcutta Gallery | Newest addition on the 300th Anniversary of the city, traces development from Job Charnok’s arrival through independence and partition in 1947 using photographs, paintings, maps, sketches, historical documents, and life-size diorama of 19th century Chitpur road |
| Arms and Armoury Gallery | Contains two cannons used in Battle of Plassey, Tipu Sultan’s dagger and his notebook of artillery donated by his descendant Sahebzada Ghulam Mohammad in 1904 |
| Sculpture Gallery | Houses various sculptures and artistic depictions including Prince of Wales’ state entry in Jaipur in 1876 by Russian artist Vassilli Verestchagin measuring 7x5m, considered one of the largest in the world |
| Entrance Hall Gallery | Displays series of paintings and photographs showing various stages during the building of Victoria Memorial between 1906 and 1921 |
| Durbar Hall Gallery | Collection of paintings depicting cultural heritage and way of life of both Britain and India |
Visiting Information
Opening times of museum galleries are 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM except for Mondays and national holidays while opening times of gardens are 5:30 AM to 6:15 PM daily. Entry fee of this monument is Rs. 30 for Indians, Rs. 500 for non-SAARC foreigners, Rs. 20 for garden entry and free entry for school children up to class XII in uniform and Army personnel in uniform, annual passes are also available for people playing kolkata ff and কলকাতা ফটাফট nearby region.
- Purchase Entry Tickets: Purchase individual tickets for memorial gallery Rs. 30 for Indians, Rs. 100 for SAARC foreigners, Rs. 500 for other foreigners and gardens Rs. 20 per person at ticket counter, free entry for uniformed school children and army personnel which is definitely helpful.
- Gallery Visiting Hours: Schedule your visit to museum between 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM on Tuesday to Sunday, avoid visiting on Mondays and national holidays when galleries are closed, you may require minimum of 2-3 hours to visit all 25 galleries.
- Garden Access Times: Visit memorial gardens from 5:30 AM to 6:15 PM daily for morning walks or leisure stroll, annual passes are also available at Rs. 2000 per person or Rs. 1000 for senior citizens which will help you save money.
- Ask for Photography Permission: Ask for permission for photography at entrance as there are some galleries which do not allow photography of certain artifacts and paintings, so it is better to ask beforehand.
Evening light and sound show “Pride and Glory- The Story of Calcutta” illuminates the memorial building with colors, Bengali show takes place from 6:15 PM to 7:00 PM October to February or 6:45 PM to 7:30 PM March to June, English show takes place from 7:15 PM to 8:00 PM October to February or 7:45 PM to 8:30 PM March to June, tickets are distributed from 5:30 PM onwards and there are no shows on Mondays, national holidays and between July and September which should be kept in mind.
How to Reach There
Transportation facilities include Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport which is the nearest airport and Howrah junction which is the nearest railway station, commute in the city is possible through the help of various means of transportation. The address of this monument is Maidan, Victoria Memorial Hall, 1, Queens Way, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700071 making it easily accessible from all parts of the city including কলকাতা ফটাফট regions.
- Yellow taxis from airport and railway station parking which directly takes you to memorial located at Maidan, Victoria Memorial Hall, 1, Queens Way, Kolkata, West Bengal, 700071
- App based cabs like Ola and Uber for convenient point to point travel to memorial
- Private cars hire from leading car rental companies of Kolkata for entire trip making your holiday hassle-free
- Local buses and metro connectivity to make memorial accessible from all parts of city
- Birla Planetarium – located nearby for astronomical shows and exhibitions
- St. Paul’s Cathedral – historic Anglican cathedral with Gothic architecture located nearby
- Fort William – British era fort located nearby
- Princep Ghat – picturesque riverside promenade on Hooghly River for evening visits
- BBD Bagh Gardens – historic gardens located in central business district and exhibits colonial era buildings
