The Victoria Memorial is a famous museum and a place of tourist attraction in Kolkata. The memorial was designed by Sir William Emerson in an architectural style similar to Belfast City Hall. Built between 1906 and 1921, it is a majestic white marble building at the southern end of the Maidan and surrounded by a sprawling garden.
A black bronze Angel of Victory, holding a bugle in her hand was placed at the apex of the dome above the Memorial. It is fixed to its pedestal with ball bearings and acts as a weathercock when the wind is strong enough.
Apart from being a memorial, the monument was intended to serve as a tribute to the success of the British Empire in India. Lord Curzon was the one who envisaged the main idea of the erection of the Victoria Memorial Hall, which was to serve as the architectural culmination of the Kolkata city.
The Victoria Memorial houses a museum, where one finds an amazing compilation of the memorabilia of Victoria, paintings of British rule and other exhibits. The collection includes weapons, sculptors, paintings, maps, coins, stamps, artifacts, textiles, etc. The Royal gallery of the Victoria Memorial houses some splendid portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
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