Victoria Memorial Hall turns 100
Kolkata: Victoria Memorial Hall, an architectural marvel which was conceived in 1901 as a magnificent monument to the Queen and also as a "Valhalla of the Indian Empire", has completed 100 years of its existence.
The marble beauty, one of the most admired and photographed heritage buildings in the country, was inaugurated on December 28, 1921 in Calcutta (now Kolkata) by the then Prince of Wales during his royal tour of India. According to the old archival records, "a jewelled key" was presented to the royal guest by noted industrialist Sir Rajendra Nath Mookerjee on behalf of the contractors, with which the Prince of Wales unlocked the door.
A galaxy of other dignitaries, including the then Governor of Bengal Lord Ronaldshay, were present during the event. Unlike the pomp and splendour witnessed during the opening ceremony of the 'All India Queen Victoria Memorial', the day of centenary of its inauguration rather went past in a blip on Tuesday. While the foundation stone of this celebrated monument was laid by the then Prince of Wales (later King George V) on January 4, 1906, the marble marvel was inaugurated by his son and the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), who was sent to India by him on a goodwill tour after the end of the First World War (1914-1918), as per old archival records. As the resplendent hall, designed with a museum housed within its realms, and endowed with priceless paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other artworks, turned 100 on Tuesday, it shared on its Facebook page, some of the very rare archival images of its construction, and wrote, "100 years ago, on this day, Victoria Memorial Hall opened its doors to the public. Here's how it started... #vmhonline #vmhcentenary #victoriamemorialhall #kolkatavintage".
Surrounding the iconic dome of the Victoria Memorial Hall are ornate allegorical sculptures of 'Art', 'Architecture', 'Justice', and 'Charity', and above its North Porch are 'Motherhood', 'Prudence' and 'Learning'.
Representing the resplendent and majestic British architecture, the Victoria Memorial Hall stands today at the Maidan, as a veritable icon of the city of Kolkata. Spread across 57 acres of land, the building, famously referred to as just 'Victoria' is located, well on 1, Queensway, and was envisaged by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy of India, as a memorial to the Queen after her demise in 1901.
According to VMH website, 21 gardens are part its sprawling campus, and the Hall possesses 28,394 artefacts, 3,900 paintings, including rare works by the Daniells. It is topped by an enormous (16-ft high, 3-tonne) bronze Angel of Victory which is capable of revolving, according to Victorianweb.com.
Many architecture, heritage and Calcutta lovers have taken to social media to share posts on the centenary of the inauguration of the magnificent monument.
