Victoria Memorial

The Victoria Memorial is a large white marble monument and museum on the Maidan in Kolkata, West Bengal, built between 1906 and 1921 in memory of Queen Victoria. The Victoria Memorial was designed by Sir William Emerson, president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and built of Makrana marble from Rajasthan, the same stone used for the Taj Mahal. It stands in about 64 acres of gardens.

The memorial was proposed by Lord Curzon, the Viceroy, after the Queen's death in 1901, and paid for largely by donations from Indian princes and the public. The foundation stone was laid in 1906 by the Prince of Wales, later King George V, and it opened in 1921. By then the capital of British India had moved from Calcutta to Delhi. The building blends European classical and Mughal elements, and a bronze Angel of Victory stands on its central dome. Today it is a museum run by the Government of India, with about 25 galleries of paintings, manuscripts, arms and objects from colonial and earlier Bengal.

What to see

• The central dome with the bronze Angel of Victory
• The Royal Gallery and the Queen's Hall
• Paintings by Thomas and William Daniell and other artists of colonial India
• The Calcutta Gallery on the history of the city
• The gardens, statues and reflecting pools, best in early morning

What to wear

Kolkata is hot and humid from March to October, so wear light cotton, a hat and sunscreen, and carry water for the gardens. Winter days from December to February are pleasant. There is no strict dress code, but modest clothing suits the museum, and comfortable shoes help on the long garden paths. Bengali women wear the saree, including the handloom tant and the white saree with a red border worn at festivals, and men wear the dhoti with a kurta called a panjabi.

Local food to try

Kolkata is one of India's great food cities. Try kathi rolls, which began in the city, phuchka (the local pani puri), jhalmuri and Kolkata biryani with potato. For sweets, look for rosogolla, sandesh and mishti doi. Park Street, a short walk away, has long-running restaurants and Flurys, the tearoom and bakery. Vegetarian and halal food are widely available.

Good to know

• Best time: November to February; early morning for the gardens
• Museum 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays and national holidays; gardens daily from early morning to 6pm
• Separate tickets for gardens and museum; foreign visitors pay about 500 rupees for the museum
• Allow two to three hours
• On the Maidan in central Kolkata, near Park Street and Maidan metro station
• Photography rules differ by gallery; check signs inside

Nearby places

From Kolkata, the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans are about 100 km south, and the hill town of Darjeeling is an overnight train or a flight to Bagdogra away. The temples of Odisha, including the Konark Sun Temple, lie about 500 km south-west.