Kolkata: The Victoria Memorial

Several people told Craig and I that the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata was a “must-see” site. One of them told us to allocate an entire day since it was far from our hotel and there was just so much to see. Another told us we’d probably only need an hour to take in the site. I guess it really comes down to personal preference when visiting museums.

The Victoria Memorial was built as a memorial to the English queen, Victoria, after her death in 1901. The memorial is a large and stately white Makrana Marble building whose design has echoes of the Taj Mahal. It’s now a museum housing around 30 000 items and is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. The building is surrounded by beautifully tended gardens which span 64 hectares.

So, that’s what the Victoria Memorial is. But what were my impressions of it?

Admittedly, it was our first full day in Kolkata, and I was still tired from the long flight. I was also struggling to adjust to the intense 34 degrees Celsius heat. And the site was crowded – it felt like there were people everywhere. So I wasn’t at my best as we wove our way through the throngs of people towards the entrance.

I was saddened to discover that the Victoria Memorial museum is what I’d consider an “old style museum”, where everything’s kept protectively roped off or hidden behind glass. I know I’ve been spoiled by the highly interactive museums in Poland which I’ve been to in the past few years.

Even though I’m sure I would have ben fascinated by the historic exhibitions at the Victoria Memorial, as a visually impaired visitor the whole experience was a lot like walking round a vast empty building. With the exception of a cannon, which I declined to touch. Like I said, I wasn’t at my best.

I did enjoy climbing the precarious spiral staircase leading up to the balcony overlooking the main hall of the museum. It gave me a good sense of the size of the building and the height of its vast dome.

We had a few minutes to walk round some of the beautifully manicured gardens and laugh at the antics of the busy grey and white striped squirrels
As they dashed around amongst the tree branches. I’d have like to investigate the gardens a little more, but the unrelenting heat of the day chased us back to the comfort of our air-conditioned car all too soon.

It probably doesn’t sound like it, but I was glad I was able to visit the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata and experience what it was like. But I’d love to ask the person who advised us to make our visit a day trip what they found that kept them so engaged for such a long time. Maybe I just missed out a whole lot of exhibits that would have captured my attention had I known they were there.