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Memories of a Memorial..

Contents

1 Design and construction2 History3 The Royal Gallery4 The garden5Picture gallery6 References

Design and construction

The memorial was designed by SirWilliam Emersonusing Indo-Saracenic style, incorporatingMughalelements in the structure.Lord Redesdaleand Sir David Praindesigned the gardens. The foundation stone of the memorial was laid down in the year 1906. The monument was intended to serve as a tribute to the success of theBritish Empirein India.

Architect Sir William Emerson laid down the actual plan of the memorial. The design of the structure represents a fusion of British and Mughal architecture. White Makrana marbles were used in the construction of Victoria Memorial Hall and the building was inaugurated in the year 1921. The massive hall is 338 feet (103m) by 228 feet (69m) and rises to a height of 184 feet (56m).British government money was not used in its construction at all.

History

On the death ofQueen Victoriain January 1901,Lord Curzon, who was then Viceroy of India, placed before the public the question of setting up a fitting memorial to the Queen. He suggested that the most suitable memorial would be a "stately", spacious, monumental and grand building surrounded by an exquisite garden.This was to be a historical museum where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the

history of this country and develop a pride in their past building, while the work of construction was entrusted toMessrs. Martin & Co.of Calcutta. Vincent J. Esch was the superintending architect. The princes and people of India responded generously to his appeal for funds and the total cost of construction of this monument amounting to one crore, five lakhs of rupees, was entirely derived from their voluntary subscriptions.Sir William Emerson, President of the British Institute of Architects, designed and drew up the plan of this History.

The Royal Gallery

In the Royal Gallery there are oil paintings depicting scenes ofQueen Victoriareceiving the sacrament at her coronation in theWestminster Abbeyin June 1838; her marriage withPrince Albert(1840) in theChapel RoyalatSt. James' Palace; Beside the painting showing the entry of Prince Wales intoJaipuris displayed here. It is the largest in oils in India . On the south wall hangs the Russian ' artistVerestchagin's masterpiece depicting in oils the

state entry ofKing Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, into Jaipur in 1876. Also to be seen in this hall are portraits of Edward VII, as Prince of Wales, painted in 1863 by Jansen and those ofQueen VictoriaandPrince Albert when both were young, by Winterhalter.

The garden

The Garden of the memorial was exquisitely designed on a total area of 64 acres (0.26km2) with the building covering an area of 338 by 228 sqft (31.4 by 21.2 m2). On way to the north gate is a bronze statue of Queen Victoria by Sir George Frampton. The Queen is seated on her throne, wearing the robes of the Star of India. Approaching the building from the south, visitors pass the King Edward VII memorial arch with a bronze equestrian statue of the King by Sir Bertram Mackennal

surmounting it and a marble statue of Lord Curzon by F.W. Pomeroy, R.A. There are also other statues of various dignitaries like Lord Bentinck, Governor- General of India (18281835), Lord Ripon (Governor- General of India from 1880 to 1884; the statue of Sir Rajendranath Mookerjee, the pioneer industrialist of Bengal is on the eastern side.There are twenty one gardeners to maintain the garden and the morning walkers have four associations

Picture gallery

References

Government of India, Ministry of Culture,ANNUALREPORT 2008-09p. 30Victoria Memorial. iloveindia.comVictoria Memorial. kolkatainformation.comhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Memorial_(India)http://www.victoriamemorial-cal.org/

Thank you for your patience

Name:Subhadip Biswas Stream: Civil Sem: 4thId: Cvl-150

Calcutta institute of engineering and management