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When you drive previous the well-known Maiden in Calcutta, you can’t miss seeing an imposing constructing within the heart. It shines from afar and the white facade provides the monument a pure look. That is the well-known Victoria Memorial, which for the final 90 odd years epitomizes the glory of British rule over India.
Development of the Memorial
When the Monument was deliberate, Calcutta was the seat of the British Indian Empire and it was logical to have the monument constructed there. However by the point it was accomplished in 1921, the Capital was deliberate to be shifted to Delhi and the monument was overtaken by occasions from historical past. A lot of its significance was misplaced, however its architectural splendor can’t be diminished.
The memorial named after the well-known British queen Victoria is absolutely the center and soul of Calcutta. It took eight years to construct and incorporates Mughal and Western design ideas. One of the best half is that the memorial was constructed with none public cash and its funding was all finished by non-public Princes and Rajas who wished to curry favor with the imperial energy.
The Victoria Memorial and the Taj
The designer of the monument was a British named Sir William Emerson, who had been visiting India since 1860 and had designed quite a few buildings throughout India. He took a youthful assistant and as per his temporary by Lord Curzon, he obtained set to erect a monument that might rival the Taj. The monument in its white marble splendor is unfold over an space of 26 hectares with beautiful gardens. It’s actually a fabulous piece of structure. No go to to Calcutta might be full and not using a go to to this memorial.
The monument has misplaced a lot of its sheen with the capital shifting to Delhi, but it surely can’t be forgotten that this memorial can be a museum and brings alive the greatness of the Raj. There’s a small entrance charge to go to the museum and memorial and its care and maintenance is the accountability of the Central authorities.
Although the memorial in sheer bodily and aesthetic magnificence rivals the Taj, but due to political concerns, its significance is downplayed. The monument homes statues and portraits of the greats of the Raj in addition to sculptors and work of Indian troopers who served the British. After independence, a contemporary chapter of Indian leaders can be added.
However on the finish of the day, the sheer fantastic thing about the monument will overwhelm a customer. It additionally implies that the interval of the Raj, simply can’t be wished away as fiction. It was a reality of historical past because the displayed pistols of Warren Hastings, utilized in precise fight testify.
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Source by Madan G Singh
