Kolkata was formerly known as Calcutta and has served as one of the most
important posts during the British colonial period. The large white marble
made building has been dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and
presently the house is made as a museum for the people.
The museum is now
under the care of the Ministry of Culture in West Bengal. The building is also
located by the side of the Hooghly River. Immediately after the death
of Queen Victoria, initiatives were taken to construct the building in her
memory that will serve as a memorial for the great queen of the British
Empire. The proposals of the building contained
a large garden and a museum
and accordingly everything has been constructed.
The Victoria Memorial was constructed by 1906 to 1921. Some of the finest
marbles have been used to construct the structure. Now the structure is over
90 years of old and been standing proudly on the lands of Kolkata. The entire
complex is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria who reigned over
different countries and expanded colonialism in India. The foundation of the
building was laid by the Prince of Wales in January of 1906 and took over 10
years to make the structure. The hall was opened to the public in 1921. Though
it was planned to keep the Memorial
Hall at the capital of India, due to the
transfer of the Indian capital to New Delhi has changed the situation and thus
the Victoria Memorial remained in one the provinces in India.
Now the memorial is used for several purposes and the visitors mostly come to
know about the life of Queen Victoria. The memorial is divided into different
parts and there are 25 galleries containing the royal relics of the British Empire
and some of the belongings of the Queen. Among the
galleries, the most
notable are the royal gallery which contains the royal relics of the then time,
the portrait gallery – containing the portraits of the royal family members,
national leader gallery where the images and belongings of the national
leaders of India are exhibited,
Calcutta gallery, and arms and armour gallery.
The memorial also owns some rare collection of books. The Calcutta gallery is
the latest addition on the Memorial Hall and contains the history of Calcutta
and its importance in the past. The garden before the memorial is used for
growing different flowers and plants. The garden is grown on an area covering
over 60 acres of land and a skilled team of gardeners maintain it. The bronze
statue of Victoria in the garden is one of the most attractive things here.
I like the Victoria Memorial for different reasons. Firstly this is one of the old
and historical buildings in the city. Located
near the Jawaharlal Nehru road,
this is a large iconic structure in Kolkata. The building is opened for all and
shows the histories of the royal families in Britain. The portraits look like real
and the galleries are filled with artefacts and historical documents. The design
of the building is another issue to consider. The design is a blend of the Mughal
and British architectures which has raised the beauty of the building. The
entire design is influenced by some other architectural features and white
Markana marble has been used to build it. After
the independence of India,
further improvements of the building were made. The building looks different
in different times of the day. I like it most as it helps us to know about the
history of British Empire and India.
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