The Taj of the Raj: The Victoria Memorial Hall and its Gardens

The panoramic view of the Memorial with the garden flora on the southern part of the campus is on full view here.

The ornamental cast iron gate on view - identical to its counterpart on the northern side - was designed by Vincent Esch, the Superintending Architect of the Memorial during its construction, in 1921 and shipped in whole from England.

The original scheme of the Memorial Gardens was drawn up in 1915, in consultation with landscape gardeners and architects, and two remarkable individuals, Sir David Prain – Director of the Botanical Survey of India, the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, and later the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew Gardens, London – and the 1st Earl Redesdale, acknowledged as one of the greatest amateur authorities on the subject at the time.

The campus, covering a total area of 57 acres, presently comprises the gardens, the Museum building, six water bodies, paved pathways, benches for resting, nearly 2,800 trees, shrubs and hedges representing approximately 80 species, and a nursery garden for growing saplings for the purpose of fresh planting.

When approaching the building from the south, visitors pass the King Edward VII Memorial Arch, with a bronze equestrian statue of the King – the eldest son of Queen Victoria – by Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal, an Australian sculptor.

Marble statue of Lord Curzon, Viceroy of British India from 1899 to 1905, sculpted by Frederick William Pomeroy.

Curzon was the colonial administrator who played the key role in the making of the Victoria Memorial Hall. Behind the statue the southern facade of the building is visible. The marble used in the making the Memorial was brought from Makrana in the then Rajputana – the same place from which marble was used in the building of the Taj Mahal in the 17th century.

The foundation stone of the Victoria Memorial Hall was laid on 4 January, 1906 by the Prince of Wales, later King George V.

The North-East view of the Memorial, surrounded by lush greenery.

The chhatri-style pavilions on the top of the four corner turrets show a distinctly Indo-Islamic style, which was skillfully combined with the classical features of the Victoria Memorial Hall building. This is why the building is considered to be one of the finest examples of Indo-Saracenic architecture in India.

The bronze statue of Queen Victoria in her older years, seated on a throne located on the marble bridge between the two large water bodies on the northern side of the campus.

Sculpted by the noted British sculptor Sir George Frampton, the statue was originally installed in 1901 on Red Road, but was subsequently moved in front of the Victoria Memorial Hall building in 1921.

Visible atop the grand building in the background is the bronze sculpture of the ‘Angel of Victory,’ which acts as a weather vane, resting on ball bearings and rotating in the direction of wind, if the windspeed is approximately 15-20 kms. per hour.

The six water bodies encircling the Memorial help in sustaining a complete ecosystem that not only nurtures the large number of trees, but a vibrant local biosphere providing habitat for a large range of birds – including quite a few migratory birds in the winter season – swans and squirrels, and insects like bees, butterflies and dragonflies, as well as a large range of fish in our multiple water bodies.

Water fountains add aesthetic beauty in the background.

The view depicts the vivid greenery that characterizes the campus – with tree-lined paths, including shady trees acting as canopies, and a diverse species of herbs, shrubs and trees - protecting the Memorial from the ill effects of air pollution.

The southern side of the 57-acre campus, viewed from the terrace above the basement.

The terrace goes around the building and provides access to two colonnaded areas – the Eastern and Western Quadrangles – which are very popular spaces for the museum’s public programming, including classical concerts, especially in the winter.

The front lobby in the northern (main) entrance of the Victoria Memorial Hall, which opened to the public on 28 December 1921.

It is currently the most-visited museum in India, with a combined footfall in the gardens and the museum galleries pushing towards 4 million per year.

The architect of the building was William Emerson, and the approximate cost of building it was little over ten million Indian Rupees in the first decade of the 20th century, with the bulk of the contribution coming from the Indian subjects.