Victoria Memorial

빅토리아 기념관

The Victoria Memorial is a large marble monument in the Maidan in central Kolkata (Calcutta), India. It was built between 1906 and 1921 by the British Raj in memory of Queen Victoria, Empress of India from 1876 to 1901. It stands in 26 hectares of gardens and is now a museum under the Ministry of Culture. It is described as the largest monument to a monarch anywhere in the world.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Country: India
Location: Kolkata, India
Built: 1921
Height: 56 m
Type: Museum

Quick answers

Where is Victoria Memorial?

Victoria Memorial is in Kolkata, India.

When was Victoria Memorial built?

Victoria Memorial was built in 1921.

How tall is Victoria Memorial?

Victoria Memorial is about 56 m tall.

A grand white-marble hall dedicated to Queen Victoria, now a museum set in large gardens.

The architect was William Emerson, and the design is Indo-Saracenic, mixing British and Mughal elements with Venetian, Egyptian and Deccani influences. The building is 103 by 69 metres and rises 56 metres. It is built of white Makrana marble, the same famous stone used for the Taj Mahal, and echoes the Taj with its dome, four smaller domes and corner towers.

Why and how it was built

Viceroy Lord Curzon had long planned a historical museum, and Victoria's death on 22 January 1901 gave him the chance. He asked for a stately, grand building where every newcomer to Calcutta would learn history. People and princes of India gave money, and the whole cost of about one crore and five lakh rupees came from voluntary donations. The Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone on 4 January 1906, and the building opened in December 1921.

Design details

Curzon wanted the central chamber to be 20 metres across, slightly bigger than the Taj Mahal's. On top of the dome stands the 4.9-metre Angel of Victory by Vincent Esch, Emerson's assistant, cast in Cheltenham, England. Around the dome are statues showing Art, Architecture, Justice and Charity. Inside the rotunda are twelve large paintings by Frank Owen Salisbury of key moments in Victoria's life.

Capital moved away

In 1911, before building was finished, King George V announced that the capital of India would move from Calcutta to New Delhi. So the memorial ended up in a major provincial capital, not the national capital. The gardens were designed by Lord Redesdale and David Prain, and Esch designed the bridge on the north side and the garden gates.

Fun facts

It is built of the same Makrana marble as the Taj Mahal.
It is described as the largest monument to a monarch anywhere in the world.
The cost of about one crore and five lakh rupees came entirely from voluntary gifts.
Its central chamber was made 20 metres wide, slightly bigger than the Taj Mahal's.
The capital of India moved to New Delhi in 1911, before the memorial was finished.