Category: British Monument
Time Zone:
From March to October - 10.00 A.M. to 5.00 P.M.
From November to February - 10.00 A.M. to 4.00 P.M.
Son-et-Lumiere (Sound and Light show) - 7.15 to 8 P.M.
Victoria Memorial is closed on Monday.
Admission Fee:
For Indians - INR. 10.00 For Foreigners - INR. 150.00
Photography charges: Photography is strictly prohibited inside the monument.
Hit the Spot: The nearest Metro Station is the Maidan metro Station. One can also go there by any of the buses to Birla Planetorium
Nearest Railway Station: Howrah
Nearest Metro Station: Rabindra Sadan
Nearest International Airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
Approximate Time required for sight seeing: 2 hours
Parking: Hourly parking charges applicable.

Victoria Memorial is one of the most fascinating landmarks of Kolkata. Entwining a sprawling 26 hectares of land, it is one of the visual treats of British rule in India. It is a wonderful monument built as a memorial to Queen Victoria,and was built with exclusive white marble brought from Jodhpur. It has a curious blend of the European and Mughal architecture and is considered by many as the Britishers unsuccessful attempt of recreating the Taj Mahal.

The plan of the Memorial was originally conceived by Lord Curzon and its architecture was designed by the President of the British Institute of Architects, Sir William Emerson. Vincent J Esch, an assistant Engineer in the Bengal Nagpur Railway, was appointed as the superintending architect. In 1902, Emerson engaged him to prepare a sketch of his original design for the Victoria Memorial. The work of construction was entrusted to Messrs Martin & Co of Calcutta (Kolkata). Though the construction of the substructure began in 1904; it was only in 1910 that the real work began. It was now that Esch established himself as Calcutta's leading architect and was then formally appointed the Superintending Architect of the project.

It is interesting to note that Sir William described his model as an “occidental design”. However, it is clear from the final result of the Memorial that it has an inherent Indian character. Curzon’s insistence that the mausoleum be a fitting tribute to the illustrious reign of Queen Victoria and be built of white marble clearly indicates that like the Taj, the Victoria Memeorial was supposed to bear the remembrance of an Empress. Moreover, the architectural similarities like a great dome clustered with four subsidiary octagonal domed chattris along with the high portals, the terrace, and the arched corner towers clearly shows the similarities to the Taj Mahal.

As Kolkata was the capital of India then, it was the obvious choice for the construction of the Memorial. Though there were a lot of initial financial difficulties concerning the project, the tactful administrative qualities of Lord Curzon saw to it that the foundation stone of the mausoleum was laid by The Prince of Wales at Kolkata on 4th January, 1906. The total cost of the project was Rs 1, 05, 00,000 and most of the funds required for the project were given by the Indian princes and the kings while the rest were collected from the public. The Memorial was finally opened to the public on 21^st December, 1921 by the Duke of Windsor.

It is said that the building materials needed for the memorial would have needed a goods train about 27 km long. The building weighs around 80,300 tons. The marble for the memorial was procured from the same quarries of Makrana in Rajasthan, from where Shahjahan had obtained the marble for building the Taj Mahal. The cost of marble, including freight charges, was initially estimated to be around Rs 2.5 million. Later, the expenses were reduced by Rs 200,000, when the Indian Railways waived the transport costs and offered free carriage.

The Victoria Memorial stands in the south east corner of the Maidan and has an area of 103.02m by 69.49m and is 56.08m high up to the base of the figure of Victory, which is another 4.88m high. It contains nearly three thousand and five hundred articles on the Victorian Empire and has 25 galleries in a chamber beneath the dome. The premiere attraction is the Queen's Hall which is graven with the text of the Queen’s proclamation. It also has numerous paintings reminiscent of the important events of her life such as her coronation, her marriage, the baptism of her son and heir, her son's wedding and her residence of Frogmore. It also contains some of her possessions like her dresses, the famous Rosewood pianoforte, at which she received her childhood tuitions, the writing desk and chair occupied for daily correspondence at Windsor and the last letter she wrote to her people in India.

It also contains portraits of famous personalities like Macaulay, Kipling, Bishop Heber William Hickey, Keshab Chandra Sen, Dwarkanath Tagore, Michael Madhusudhan Dutta and Rabindranath Tagore. The famous forged document which had Nanda Kumar judicially executed can also be found here. Moreover, there are also historical mementoes like the statues and busts of Queen Mary and Geroge V and French guns captured at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the ivory chair of Warren Hastings, the medals awarded to Prince Dwarkanath Tagore by the Queen the pistols used by Warren Hastings in actual warfare. It also contains a gallery called the Calcutta Gallery which highlights the 300 years of Kolkata at a glance.

The main statue of the Memorial is that of Queen Victoria surrounded by two ornamental tanks designed by Vincent Esch. He also designed the stylish bridge on the north side of the Memorial along with the gates to the garden. The groups of figures above the north porch are symbolical representations of Motherhood, Prudence and Learning. One also finds figures of Art, Architecture, Justice, and Charity surrounding the main dome. Another sculpture on the northern side shows a lion's head with water flowing out of it and passing into four channels representing the Indus, the Ganges, the Yamuna and the Krishna.

The Memorial has a number of British luminaries in India like Robert Clive, Warren Hastings and Dalhousie etched out in stone. The largeness and commanding presence of the gardens emphasise the majesty of the Victorian Empire. Italian craftsmen were used to sculpt the various statues that adorn the large garden of the monument. The gardens are complemented by a Fountain of Joy within the Memorial Premises. The Memorial with its mesmerising and winding paths is also a favourite joint for morning walkers and joggers.

The Memorial also has a regular Son-et-Lumiere (Sound and Light show) conducted on every day of the week, barring Monday.

There is also a statue of a black bronze angel, known as Victory, holding a bugle in her hand at the apex of the dome. The statue is about five meters tall and weighs 3, 500 kg. It is fixed to its pedestal with ball bearings and can rotate when the wind speed is high enough. However, the last time Victory rotated was in the early 1990’s when a lightning melted the bearings and welded them to the base. A recent research conducted on it reveals that any more rotation can cause damage to the dome itself.

However, recently the Memorial Director Chittaranjan Panda declared that the Angel would start rotating soon.

Grub Joints

Near to the Memorial lies the Chowringhee-Park Street-Esplanade stretch which is a Grubbers delight in Kolkata. There are numerous restaurants which offer a range of mouth watering delights: blends of home- feel Bengali cuisines, to the spicy Mughlai, to the sizzling Chinese, to Italian and Continental spreads.

If one wants to try on the flavours of Bengal one should visit the Peerless Inn or the Oh! Kolkata. For Mughlai freaks, there is Aminia, Rahmania and Shiraz; Mainland China, Marco Polo, Chung Wah and Golden Dragon offer delicious Chinese cuisine whereas Domino's at Russel Street and Pizza Hut at Camac Street excel in Italian delicacies. Indian Cricket icon Saurav Ganguly's signature restaurant-Saurav's- The Food Pavilion is a grubbers delight whereas the British legacy is still examplarily followed by the Flury's. One could drop in at One Step up for Continental spreads whereas people looking for some cool beverages can drop in at the Barista or the CCD. One can also treat themselves to the mouthwatering puchkas, sherbets, fruit salads and other road side delicacies near the Victoria Memorial though they could be a bit tough on ones tummy at times!

Shopping Stops Nearby

One could go on a shopping spree from selling everything from Tibetan Thangkas to Ray Ban goggles. The stretch from The Oberoi Grand located in Esplanade to Park Street is one of the most fashionable places to shop. The flea market is especially very popular with tourists. Balucheri sarees and Vishnupur clay idols vie for attention alongside up market brands like Nike, Adidas, Westside and Pantaloons. For handloom and handicraft items, The Cottage Industries Emporium at Chowringhee is well worth a visit.

Related External Link:
Interesting story on the Angel