It is a well-known fact that Kolkata’s iconic landmark, Victoria Memorial was commissioned by Lord Curzon in the early 1900s in memory of then Empress of India, Queen Victoria, and drew inspiration from Roman, Greek, Italian, Indian and Islamic architectural styles. But there are many other facets of this monument that remain lesser known
Did you know that the total amount of marble used to create Victoria Memorial could fill up a 27km-long goods train?
Victoria Memorial was built with Makrana marble from Rajasthan, the same kind of marble as that used to build Agra’s Taj Mahal
It is said that Lord Curzon viewed the Taj Mahal as competition when planning the building of Victoria Memorial, and he designed the dome of the Kolkata building to be bigger than the Taj Mahal — 64 feet in diametre compared to the Taj’s 61 feet
A statue of Lord Cornwallis, then Governor-General of India stands outside the monument. The statue symbolises abundance, fortitude, and prudence
Apart from Indian and Rajput influences in its architecture, there are other Indian elements in the design of Victoria Memorial. The structure has a tribute to four rivers — Indus, Jamuna (Yamuna), Ganga and Krishna
The 16-foot-tall bronze figure of the Angel of Victory weighs about three tonnes, and while many think that its rotation is a myth, the angel does rotate — when wind speeds are higher than 20km/hr
