The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building on the Maidan in Central

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

Empress of India Emperor or Empress of India was a title used by British monarchs from 1 May 1876 (with the Royal Titles Act 1876) to 22 June 1948, that was used to signify their rule over British India, as its imperial head of state. Royal Proclamation of 2 ...

from 1876 to 1901. The largest monument to a monarch anywhere in the world, it stands in 64 acres of gardens and is now a museum under the control of the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

History

Queen Victoria -Golden Jubilee -3a cropped

Following the death of Queen Victoria in January 1901,

Lord Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

, the

Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...

, suggested that a fitting memorial to the late Queen-Empress should be created in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, now called Kolkata, then the capital of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He proposed the construction of a grand building with a museum and gardens. Curzon said, The government officials, princes, politicians, and people of India responded generously to Lord Curzon's appeal for funds, and the total cost of construction of the monument, amounting to one crore, five lakhs of Rupees (₹), was entirely derived from their voluntary subscriptions. The site chosen was near the present-day Raj Bhavan, known at the time as Government House. The construction of the Victoria Memorial was delayed by Curzon's departure from India in 1905, with a subsequent loss of local enthusiasm for the project. There was also some uncertainty about the strength of the foundations, and tests on them were carried out. On 4 January 1906, the new Prince of Wales laid the

foundation stone The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Over tim ...

. The work of construction was entrusted to Messrs. Martin & Co. of Calcutta, and work on the superstructure began in 1910. In 1912, before construction was finished,

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

announced the transfer of the capital of India from Calcutta to

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. Thus, the Victoria Memorial came to stand in what would be a major provincial city, rather than a capital. The Victoria Memorial was completed and formally opened to the public in 1921.Sharma A
"Famous monuments of India."
Pinnacle Technology, 2011. After 1947, some additions were made to the Memorial. A smaller Victoria memorial was also constructed in the Hardoi District, which has since been converted into a city club for recreation. Mahatma Gandhi addressed meetings at Hardoi in the 1930s.

Design and architecture

Queen Victoria's statue inside the memorial in Kolkata

The architect of the Victoria Memorial was William Emerson (1843–1924). The design is in the Indo-Saracenic revivalist style which uses a mixture of British and Mughal elements with Venetian, Egyptian, Deccani architectural influences. The building is and rises to a height of . It is constructed of white

Makrana marble Makrana marble is a type of white marble, popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It is mined in the town of Makrana in Rajasthan, India, and was used in the construction of several iconic monuments such as the Taj Mahal in Agra and the ...

.Hermann M
"Architecture in India."
GRIN Verlag, 2011. , 9783640929771. Accessed at Google Books, 13 December 2013. The gardens of the Victoria Memorial were designed by

Lord Redesdale Baron Redesdale, of Redesdale in the County of Northumberland, is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was firstly created in 1802 for lawyer and politician Sir John Mitford (later Freeman-Mi ...

and

David Prain Sir David Prain (11 July 1857 – 16 March 1944) was a Scotland, Scottish botanist who worked in India at the Calcutta Botanical Garden and went on to become Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Life Born to David Prain, a saddler, and ...

. Emerson's assistant,

Vincent Jerome Esch Vincent Jerome Esch, (20 July 1876 – 9 December 1950) was a British architect who worked in India. He is regarded as a pioneer of the Indo-Sarcenic architectural style, which developed during the British rule in the Indian subcontinent. Born in ...

, designed the bridge of the north aspect and the garden gates. In 1902, Emerson engaged Esch to sketch his original design for the Victoria Memorial. On top of the central dome of the Memorial is the figure of the Angel of Victory. Surrounding the dome are

allegorical sculpture Allegorical sculpture are sculptures of personifications of abstract ideas as in allegory. Common in the western world, for example, are statues of Lady Justice representing justice, traditionally holding scales and a sword, and the statues of Pru ...

s including ''Art'', ''Architecture'', ''Justice'', and ''Charity'' and above the North Porch are ''Motherhood'', ''Prudence'' and ''Learning''. The Victoria Memorial is built of white

. In design it echoes the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

with its dome, four subsidiaries, octagonal-domed

chattris ''Chhatri'' are elevated, dome-shaped pavilions used as an element in Indo-Islamic architecture and Indian architecture. Originating as a canopy above tombs, they serve as decorative elements. The earliest example of chhatri being used in the ...

, high portals, terrace, and domed corner towers. Angel_of_Kolkata_Victoria_Memorial

Museum

The Victoria Memorial has 25 galleries. These include the royal gallery, the national leader's gallery, the portrait gallery, central hall, the sculpture gallery, the arms and armory gallery, and the newer, Kolkata gallery. The Victoria Memorial has the largest single collection of the works of Thomas Daniell (1749–1840) and his nephew, William Daniell (1769–1837). It also has a collection of rare and antiquarian books such as the illustrated works of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, the '' Arabian Nights'' and the '' Rubaiyat'' by

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...

as well as books about

kathak Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...

dance and

thumri Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...

music by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah. However, the galleries and their exhibitions, the programmatic elements of the memorial do not compete with the purely architectural spaces or voids. Statue_of_Lord_Curzon_at_Victoria_Memorial,_Kolkata

Statue_of_Lord_Curzon_at_Victoria_Memorial,_Kolkata

Victoria Gallery

The Victoria Gallery displays several portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and paintings illustrating their lives, by Winterhalter, Frank Salisbury, and W. P. Frith. These are copies of works of art in England. They include Victoria receiving the sacrament at her coronation in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...

in June 1838; Victoria's wedding to Prince Albert in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace in 1840; the christening of the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

in St. George's Chapel,

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original c ...

, 1842; the wedding of the Prince of Wales to

Alexandra of Denmark Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of ...

in 1863; and paintings of Victoria at the service for her Golden Jubilee at Westminster Abbey in 1887 and her

Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniver ...

service at St Paul's Cathedral in June 1897. Queen Victoria's childhood rosewood pianoforte and her correspondence desk from Windsor Castle stand in the center of the room, having been presented to the Victoria Memorial by her son Edward VII. On the south wall hangs the oil painting by Vasily Vereshchagin of the state entry of the Prince of Wales into

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had a population of 3.1 million, making it the tenth most populous city in the country. Jaipur is also known ...

in 1876."The Royal gallery."
''www.victoriamemorial-cal.org''. Retrieved 1 January 2017.

Kolkata gallery

In the mid-1970s, the matter of a new gallery devoted to the visual history of Kolkata was promoted by Saiyid Nurul Hasan, the minister for education. In 1986, Hasan became the governor of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

and chairman of the Victoria Memorial board of trustees. In November 1988, Hasan hosted an international seminar on the ''Historical perspectives for the Kolkata tercentenary''. The Kolkata gallery concept was agreed and a design was developed leading to the opening of the gallery in 1992. The Kolkata gallery houses a visual display of the history and development of Kolkata when the capital of India was transferred to New Delhi. The gallery also has a life-size diorama of

Chitpur Chitpur (or Chitpore) is a neighbourhood in North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names. Hi ...

road in the late 1800s.

Gardens

The gardens at the Victoria memorial cover and are maintained by a team of 21 gardeners. They were designed by Redesdale and

. On Esch's bridge, between narrative panels by

Goscombe John Sir William Goscombe John (21 February 1860 – 15 December 1952) was a prolific Welsh sculptor known for his many public memorials. As a sculptor, John developed a distinctive style of his own while respecting classical traditions and forms of ...

, there is a bronze statue of Victoria, by

George Frampton Sir George James Frampton, (18 June 1860 – 21 May 1928) was a British sculptor. He was a leading member of the New Sculpture movement in his early career when he created sculptures with elements of Art Nouveau and Symbolism, often combinin ...

. Empress Victoria is seated on her throne. In the paved quadrangles and elsewhere around the building, other statues commemorate Hastings,

Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United ...

, Robert Clive, Arthur Wellesley, and James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie. To the south of the Victoria, Memorial building is the Edward VII memorial arch. The arch has a bronze equestrian statue of Edward VII by

Bertram Mackennal Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal (12 June 186310 October 1931), usually known as Bertram Mackennal, was an Australian sculptor and medallist, most famous for designing the coinage and stamps bearing the likeness of George V. He signed his work "BM". ...

and a marble statue of Curzon by F. W. Pomeroy. The garden also contains statues of Lord William Bentinck, governor-general of India (1833–1835), George Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, governor-general of India (1880–84), and

Rajendra Nath Mookerjee Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee (or Rajen Mookerjee; 23 June 1854 – 15 May 1936) was a pioneering Bengali Indian industrialist.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), (1976/1998), ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dict ...

, a pioneer industrialist of Bengal. Following an order of the West Bengal High Court in 2004, an entry fee was imposed for the gardens, a decision welcomed by the general public except for few voices of dissent.

Gallery

File:Victoria Memorial Kolkata at night.jpg, Victoria Memorial with St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata, in the foreground. File:Victoria Memorial Night 5.jpg, Victoria Memorial illuminated at night. File:Victoria Memorial Illuminated at Night.jpg, Victoria Memorial Illuminated at night File:Sunset-at-victoria-memorial.jpg, Summer sunset File:Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata.jpg, Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata File:Lakes of victoria.jpg, Lakes of victoria File:Kolkata3.JPG, The moon and Angel of Victory at Victoria Memorial File:Kolkata Victoria Memorial South side.JPG, South side File:India - Kolkata Victorian museum - 4258.jpg, King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

Arch in the Victoria Memorial Gardens. File:Victoria Memorial Kolkata (37610124104).jpg,

File:Lion statue at Victoria Memorial, Kolkata 01.jpg, Lion statue at Victoria Memorial File:Victoria Memorial Pano 5.jpg, Victoria Memorial and The 42. File:Mother and Child sculpture on the Victoria Memorial.jpg, A sculpture of a Mother holding a child in one hand and a sword in the other hand File:Ketan donate5.jpg, Statue of ''Motherhood'' File:The Apotheosis - C381 - Victoria Memorial (cropped).jpg, Gallery under the dome with scenes from the life of Queen Victoria: 1. The Apotheosis File:The Jubilee service at Westminister Abbey - C382 - Victoria Memorial (cropped).jpg, 2. Jubilee Service at

File:The Diamond Jubilee Service at St Pauls - C383 - Victoria Memorial (cropped).jpg, 3. Diamond Jubilee Service at St Paul's Cathedral File:The Lying in State - C384 - Victoria Memorial (cropped).jpg, 4. Lying in State

References

External links

*
"360 degree spherical panoramas of Victoria Memorial."
India Tourism. {{authority control 1921 establishments in India Art museums and galleries in Kolkata Buildings and structures completed in 1921 City museums Gardens in India 20th century in Kolkata Marble buildings Monuments and memorials to Queen Victoria Monuments and memorials in Kolkata Museums established in 1921 Museums in Kolkata Tourist attractions in Kolkata Indo-Saracenic Revival architecture National museums of India