Victoria Memorial
As a tribute to Queen Victoria, this was
built 1921, of marble and the whole edifice is a strange mixture
of Mughal and European architecture conceived by Lord Curzon,
its foundation stone was laid in 1906 by Prince of Wales. A
broad avenue sweeps to it and in the middle of the avenue, on
a high marble pedestal is the imposing statue of Queen Victoria.
Facing it in the black marble is the statue of Lord Curzon.
Inside the museum, in the galleries, a rich collection of colonial
times—armors, weapons, medals, coins, etc.—is on
display. Inside again there is Queen Victoria, done in white
marble, much younger, shimmer and her hair looped in braids
over her ears. There is also a rose wood piano which Queen Victoria
played as a young girl, and other memorabilia.
The Birla Planetarium
It is a fine and very big planetarium built
after the Buddhist Stupa at Sanchi. Showing the various movements
simulated of the planets, daily shows are held here inside the
air-conditioned hall and it costs Rs. 5 for admission.
Raj Bhawan
Built in 1799-l805,Raj Bhawanat the extreme
north of the Maidan, is now the official residence of the Governor
of West Bengal. During the Raj time it was occupied by the Governor
General of Bengal Lord Wellesley: It is an imitation of Kedleston
Hall in Derbyshire in England. Raj Bhawan is famous for its
lavishly decorated rooms, the marble hail with the bust of 12
Caesars, a pair of sphinxes and many rare items of art including
Tipu Sultan’s throne. Entry into it is restricted. Nearby
is the High Court, built in 1872 in Gothic style and modelled
after Standhus at Ypres. Belgium.
The Writer’s
Building
The majestic Writer’s Building built
in Gothic style in 1780, stands with its rows of Ionic pillars
and groups of statue on one side of the Dalhousie Square, now
rechristened as B.B.D. Bagh. Originally ii housed the offices
of the “Writers of the Company”. These Writers’
were none other than the clerks of the East India Company. It
has since been enlarged and now houses the West Bengal Secretariat.
The Indian National
Library
Right next to the Zoological Garden is
the famous Indian National Library housed in a former vice regal
lodge. It is the country’s largest national library and
contains an excellent collection of over 10 million books.
The Marble Palace
Near Chitraranjan Avenue, amidst narrow
streets, lies the Marble Palace, a family residence of the Mullicks.
The palace stands in a large peaceful garden of Palladian dimensions
and houses a rich treasure of rare and costly paintings. Closely
at Chitpur, off Rabindra Sarani is the house where Rabindranath
Tagore was born and where he died in 1941. It is now a university,
a grand centre of Indian Fine Arts and is known as Rabindra
Bharati.
The Indian Museum
The Indian Museum of Chowringhee is the
largest the richest in the country. Also known as ‘Jadughar’,
it was built in 1875. There are fascinating fossils, archaeological
and anthropological objects on view besides very valuable geological,
zoological and botanical treasures.
The Botanical Gardens
On the West bank of the Hooghly at Sibpur(8
km.) are located the sprawling Botanical Gardens founded in
1786. These stretch over 270 acres of land along the river front.
The gardens are famous for its herbarium containing 40,000 species.
The 500-year old Banyan tree with its 88ft. height, 1,200 feet
circumference and as many as 600 adventitious roots is the star
attraction here. This is supposed to be the biggest banyan tree
in the world. It is said that the whole army of Sher Shah Sun
camped under this one tree in 1550’s.
The Zoological Gardens
South of the Maidan lies the Zoological
Garden amidst 16.5 hectares of a well laid out park. It was
started in 1876 and houses many species of birds and animals.
The cages of the big catsroyal Bengal tigers, white tigers,
and crossbred lions are of special interest.
Parasnath Jain Temple
Of the four Jain temples built in 1867,
the main one dedicated to Shitalnath ji, the tenth Tirthankar
o the Jams, is most famous. The profusion of ornate mass of
mirrors, colored crystal chandeliers, precious stones and glass
mosaics make it quite and enchanting place.
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