Special features of Victoria Palace Kolkata and information to visit: Victoria Memorial Places

Victoria Memorial Places: Kolkata, the capital of the Old British Raj, is counted among the most prominent cities of our country. There is a lot to see and know in this city. At this place a huge and shining marble building is visible which is known throughout the world as Victoria Memorial. It is a Mughal monument, which tells a lot about the Victorian era. It is made of white Makrana marble which gives it a very beautiful look. The structure of this monument looks like the Taj Mahal, hence it is also called the Taj of Raj. This memorial was built to celebrate the life of Queen Victoria of India and the United Kingdom.

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Kolkata became part of the Second World War

During World War II, India was not directly a part of the war but the Japanese Air Force started bombing Kolkata. Because of which the city became a victim of bombing for the first time in December 1942. Air strikes by the Japanese army were carried out at night. Because the British defense system was more powerful during the day. The Japanese invasions left nothing in this city. People started covering their streets, shops and houses with thick black paper to protect themselves from being hit by the army. Even the people of Kolkata used to paint their car headlights and windows black. But the challenge was to save the Victoria Memorial.

Victoria Memorial blackened

The British government thought a lot about this and with a little trickery found a way to avoid this problem. To hide this unique architectural marvel from the invasion of the Japanese army, the entire building was painted from white to black with the help of a mixture of mud and cow dung. The British government did not want to allow this plan to be leaked at any cost. As a precaution, they also banned photography around city sites.

This place was Presidency Jail

Before Victoria Memorial was built, there used to be Presidency Jail at this place. This jail was not an ordinary jail but very special. It was at this place that our country's revolutionaries like Sri Aurobindo and Subhash Chand Bose were buried. After the construction of Victoria Memorial from Presidency Jail, the jail was shifted to Alipore and is now known as Old Alipore Jail.

There are more than 30 thousand artefacts in the museum.

The Memorial Gallery of Victoria Memorial has 26 art galleries. In which more than 30 thousand artefacts have been kept. There is a gallery in it known as the Royal Gallery. This gallery contains many portraits of Queen Victoria and Albert. At this place you will get to see many weapons of that time, Queen Victoria's chair and desk along with some rare editions of William Shakespeare. Therefore, during your trip to Kolkata, you must visit all these places.