Let us start with a question. Name the one street in the city of Kolkata that houses just one building. If it is not known don't feel bad. Maximum of the people from the city is there beside you. The address is "1 Queen's Way" and the only building on the road is the Victoria Memorial Hall.
Kolkata is incomplete without that grand white building beside the lush green Maidanepitomising beauty and elegance.Designed by Sir William Emerson the President of British Institute of Architects and constructed by Martin & Co. of Kolkataand the foundation stone of the memorial was laid on 4 January 1906 and took almost 15 years to complete. The doors were opened to public in 1921. It is the testimony of the peak of British Raj in India. Surprisingly the British Govt didn't spend any money the entire cost was bear by the people of India who donated generously. The memorial was builtin the memory of Queen Victoria's 25 years reign in India. Lord Curzonthe then Viceroy of India suggested building a memorial in the honour of the late Queen.
The beautiful memorial is made from Makrana marble brought from Jodhpur the same type of marble from which the Taj Mahal was built. An excellent example of architectural gem in Indo-Saracenic revivalist style the elegant architecture has hybrid features with Italian style statues Mughal domes and the gothic architectural styles. The Victoria Memorial also contains a museum which houses the art and artefacts a collection of oil paintings and water colour paintings of various artists. After the Indian independence portraits and relics relating to independence found place in the museum.It is a house of remarkable collections of paintings artefacts weapons textiles coins and stamps among others. Rare collection of books is preserved here. There are 25 galleries inside the memorial. The newer addition was the Calcutta gallery concept of which was advocated in the mid-1970s. One can have a view of the yesteryear Calcutta and its development through the visual displays.
There are many bronze statues throughout the structure and the most famous of them is the bronze fairythe "Angel of Victory" at the top the dome. The fairy is 13 tonnes in weight and 16 foot in height and was said to move with the wind. 64 acres of area mostly covered in lush green lawns it is one of the best maintained garden in the city with colourful flowers pleasant sight to the eyes.
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