The
history of the Victoria Memorial in Calcutta has its roots in the colonial
period of Indian history. Lord Curzon was the Viceroy or the person who
ruled India in the name of the British Crown in India from 1899 to 1905. He
secretly nurtured the vision of building a magnificent edifice that would
not only be a tribute to his English masters, but would also get him a place
in the annals of Indian architectural history.
After the death
of the popular British monarch, Queen Victoria at the age of 94, Lord Curzon
got the chance to build the monument of his dreams. Lord Curzon then
proposed the construction of a mausoleum in the center of a garden in her
memory. He also proposed a museum in the same complex, which would house
artifacts pertaining to the British rule in India. Curzon, who preferred to
abide by democratic norms, sought advice from various quarters regarding the
probable site and the nature of construction.
Curzon appealed
for funds and he received ample funds for his dream project from the
upcoming mercantile class in India and also from a number of princely
states. He did not have to ask for any financial assistance for the monument
from anyone outside the Indian subcontinent. The construction work proceeded
in the absence of the chief architect who provided guidance from Britain.
Since Curzon would have nothing short of the best, the job was entrusted to
Sir William Empson, president of the British Institute of Architects. He
drafted his plan, modeling the building on the tradition of the Italian
renaissance architecture, though its resemblance to the Taj Mahal is
unmistakable. Still, Sir William described his model as an occidental
design. It was decided that he would visit the work site annually if
necessary. Robert Lyons Serenoaks, the superintending architect, oversaw the
day to-day functioning. He was responsible for the execution of the project
and sent photographs of the progress made in the construction work to Sir
Williams every month. The initial estimated expenditure was 300,000 dollars.
It is said that a goods train 17 miles long would have been
required to bring the entire building material needed for the Memorial. The
total weight of the building has been calculated to be around 80,300 ton and
the quantity of marble for it measured 16,080 cubic feet. The same quarries
of Makrana in Rajasthan, from where Shah Jahan had obtained marble for the
Taj Mahal, were excavated. The cost of marble, including freight charges,
was initially estimated to be around Rs. 2.5 million. Later, the expenses
were reduced by Rs. 200, 000, when the Indian Railways waived the transport
costs and offered free carriage. In the later part of 1917, construction was
temporarily brought to a halt as heavy rains flooded the Makrana region. New
quarries were opened in the adjoining areas to maintain an uninterrupted
supply of marble for the edifice. The construction, which began after laying
of the foundation stone in 1906, took 15 years in completion. The building
was formally inaugurated on December 28,1921.
A black bronze
angel holding a bugle in her hand was placed at the apex of the dome above
the Memorial and has always been regarded as a curious addition to the
monument. The statue, five meters tall and weighing 3,500 kg is fixed to its
pedestal with ball bearings and can rotate when the wind speed is high
enough. Italian craftsmen sculpted the various statues that adorn the large
garden of this monument.
Both the laying of the foundation stone
and the inaugural function were grand and colorful events with a curious
blend of pomp and solemnity. King George V laid the foundation stone in1906,
while Kind Edward VIII, who was still a prince then, inaugurated the
completed structure in 1921. However, Lord Curzon, the mind behind the
Victoria Memorial, could not see its completion, as he had to leave for
Britain soon after construction work began.