Established in 1921, the Victoria Memorial Hall is one of the finest and most prominent buildings and art museums in
Kolkata. Located at the southern end of the
Maidan in Kolkata city, the Victoria Memorial was built by Lord Curzon, a viceroy of British India, as a memorial to Queen Victoria of England. Victoria Memorial is popularly known as the
Taj Mahal of the British Raj. The statue of Queen Victoria overlooking the Maidan of Kolkata, and a dome bearing a revolving bronze image of the viceroy are some of its attractions.
The galleries of the Victoria Memorial showcase statues and busts of the British royal family along with a large collection of western and Indian paintings, sculptures and manuscripts from the British period, Mughal miniatures, lithographs and rare books which date back to the 19th century. The French guns captured at the battle of Plassay in 1758, and the black marble throne of a Nawab defeated by Robert Clive, the governor general of India for the East India Company in 1756, the dagger and sword of Tipu Sultan are also on display. In this hall, there is a gallery devoted to pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India. An evening light and sound show is conducted here on the theme of the freedom struggle.
