Victoria Memorial

The Victoria Memorial Hall was conceived by Lord Curzon in 1901, immediately after Queen Victoria's death, as 'a great Imperial monument' to mark her reign. King George V laid the foundation stone in 1906; the building opened in 1921, by which time the British Raj's centre of gravity had already shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. The architect, William Emerson, drew on the Taj Mahal, Belur, and the Italian Renaissance — a 60-metre central dome on a cruciform plan, white Makrana marble facing throughout, and the bronze 'Angel of Victory' (which rotates with the wind) crowning the dome. The memorial functions as a museum of British India: oil portraits of viceroys and governors, the Calcutta Gallery (showing the city's evolution from village to capital), an extensive collection of Daniell prints, and Queen Victoria's own piano and writing desk. The 64-acre garden — designed by Lord Redesdale and David Prain — was the largest single-purpose horticultural project of the Raj. The building floodlit at night is one of Kolkata's iconic sights. The sound-and-light show (Hindi 19:15, English 20:15) covers Calcutta's history. Allow three hours for the museum.