Description of the attraction
In the former capital of British India and now the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata is home to a royal memorial dedicated to Queen Victoria of Britain and Empress of India Victoria. It is a huge building of dazzling white color, built surrounded by lush gardens.
The quadrangular building, 56 meters high, was built on the initiative of Viceroy Lord Curzon in 1906-1921. The memorial mixed several architectural styles, as, indeed, in any building of the European type in India. Typical oriental details have been added to the main Italian Renaissance style.
For the construction, the chief architect of the project, Sir William Emerson, used white marble. The corners of the building are traditionally decorated with small turrets, and the central dome is crowned with the figure of Victory (or as it is also called "Victoria's Angel"), moreover, it is also surrounded by smaller statues that personify Art, Justice, Architecture, Charity.
Today, the Victoria Memorial is a history museum that is divided into several sections. The Royal Gallery features paintings depicting the Queen herself, her husband Albert, her coronation, wedding and other significant events in the life of the royal couple. Another gallery houses works by the famous travelers, naturalists and artists Thomas and William Daniels, who visited India in 1785-1788. Also, a special room is reserved for exhibits that are dedicated to the history and culture of Calcutta, from the moment it was founded by Job Charnock, until it was stripped of its status as the Indian capital in 1911. In addition, the memorial has a repository of rare books, including books by Shakespeare and Omar Khayyam.
