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> Victoria Memorial, |
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| Victoria
Memorial
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T hefoundation
stone of Victoria Memorial, which was originally conceived
by Lord Curzon, was placed by King George V on his visit to Calcutta
in 1906. Encompassing sixty-four acres of lawns, ponds, shrubbery
and herbaceous borders, the grand drives, past bronze Victoria on
her throne and the bronze Edward VII on his horse, lead to the entrance
arches soaring through two high storeys and finally an impressive
rectangle dominated by a colonnaded dome capped by three tons of bronzed
statues.
 Inside,
the galleries, armouries, and chambers house stone statues ofmany
of India's old rulers, like Warren Hastings and Lord Cornwallis. Others
are commemorated on canvas. Paintings of the Queen dominate: at her
coronation, marriage, the baptism of her son and heir, her first and
second jubilee celebrations in her cathedral church, her son's wedding,
at her residence in Frogmore, or riding her horse. The memorial also
has some possessions  like
the pianoforte at which she received tuition in childhood, the writing
desk and chair occupied for daily correspondence at Windsor, and the
last letter she wrote to her people in India thanking them in person
for their sympathy on the loss of her grandson in the Boer War.
But most visitors to Victoria Memorial, no matter how interested they
are in the grandeur of the regalia inside, are found strolling or
sitting outside in the rolling grounds. It is a haven for lovers,
morning-walkers, tourists and Calcuttans who wish to impress visitors.
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