Of the many sights in Kolkata, tanushree podder revisits the British Raj at the Victoria Memorial and embarks on a spiritual quest at Dakshineswar Kali Temple.
There were two things on my wish list when I halted for a day in Kolkata on my way to Bhutan. Since I had just about 24 hours, I had to pick and choose between my options carefully. No, it wasn't a meeting with Mamata Banerjee nor a dekko of the famous Howrah Bridge. The two items on my list were as diverse as chopsuey and biryani.
The first one, Victoria Memorial, was to serve as an introduction to the British Raj at Kolkata and the second one, the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar was a spiritual stopover, long sought.
Half an hour after landing, I made my way to the Victoria Memorial, the trademark edifice of Kolkata. The monument is to Kolkata what Taj Mahal is to Agra. With its sprawling gardens, exquisite sculptures and pristine white exteriors, the Indo-Saracenic structure, visualised at the turn of the century, is a repository of many historical events.
Ironically, though it was envisaged by Lord Curzon, after the death of Queen Victoria, as a memorial to both the Queen and the success of her empire in India, the money for the memorial came from princely states and rich Indians who were loyal to the empire.
It is said that some time in January 1901, Lord Curzon, suggested that people should contribute towards the grand memorial. Nothing less than a magnificent building with stunning sculptures, set within exquisite gardens could be a fitting memorial for the queen. According to some documents, the total cost came to a staggering sum of over one crore rupees, which in those days was a huge amount.
The architect, Sir William Emerson's fascination with the Taj Mahal is clearly evident in the design of the memorial. The lofty entrance, enormous central dome and the surrounding smaller ones, the chattris, and the corner towers — these elements were definitely inspired by the Taj as was the building material. Flawless marble from the mines of Makrana was brought to give shape to the monument. The huge gardens surrounding the memorial were also inspired by the char bagh of Taj.
As I joined the queue of Sunday revellers at the entrance, I reflected upon the time when Kolkata served as the capital of the British Raj in its early days till Delhi wrested the status of its capital.
The impressive collection of artefacts, paintings, manuscripts, pictures and memorabilia housed in the Victoria Hall takes one on a journey through the history of the state. The Royal Gallery, with its beautiful paintings depicts the important events in the life of Queen Victoria.
The museum has an extensive collection of paintings done by prominent British artists like Thomas Daniell and William Daniell, who have captured the essence of life in various cities of the country in several aquatints. The collection of priceless books, which include the Rubaiyyat by Omar Khaiyyam and the plays by Shakespeare, is a treat for the creatively inclined. Some of these date back to the mid-19th century.
After the visual and intellectual invigoration at the Victoria Memorial, I made my way towards the New Market nearby. Built by the British way back in 1874, once known as Hogg's Market, New Market is one of Kolkata's oldest markets. Since the British were entrenched in the nearby Fort William, it was natural they set up a market to cater to their needs, close by.
Spiritual stopover
It is a place where one can find almost everything, including good food, at a bargain. Not intent on shopping, I indulged myself in a sumptuous repast of street food before I began a rather exhausting journey towards the Dakshineswar Kali Temple on the banks of River Hooghly.
The first sight of the beautiful temple, so different in architecture from the Victorial Memorial, was a moving experience. Having grown up on stories of mystical saint Ramakrishna and his brilliant disciple, Vivekanand, this was a much coveted spiritual journey for me. Story goes that Rani Rashmoni, a rich and charitable widow, while setting out on a pilgrimage to Benares dreamt of Goddess Kali. The goddess instructed her to construct a temple on the banks of River Hooghly.
Rani Rashmoni is remembered not only for her role in constructing the famous Kali Temple but also for her role in standing up to the British and protesting against their excesses. She is the subject of many folklores of Bengal. The wilful lady forced the British to withdraw the unjust tax imposed for fishing in the Hooghly river. She also earned their wrath for defying the British ordinance that banned puja processions. The charitable widow also constructed many ghats along the river.
The beautiful temple, representing typical Bengal architectural elements like curved, do-chala roof, and nine spire style, was consecrated in 1855. The navratna (nine-spired) main temple houses the main deity Ma Kali or Bhavatarini, as she is also called. Twelve shrines along the periphery of the courtyard around the main temple are dedicated to the various avatars of Lord Shiva.
I joined the serpentine queue of devotees with the offerings of red hibiscus flowers, incense sticks and other paraphernalia, inching our way towards the sanctum sanctorum. This was where Ramakrishna Paramhansa attained his spiritual enlightenment. Another queue, though a shorter one, wound itself at the room where he stayed while serving as the priest to the temple. His principal disciple, Swami Vivekanand, founded a math at Belur, which eventually became the headquarters of the Ramakrishna mission.
As I made my way across the Hooghly river towards the Belur Math, I looked back at the magnificent temple that has stood the test of time. My spiritual quest satisfied, I watched the serenely flowing water of Hooghly as the motorboat spliced its way through it. My brief stopover at the city of joy had been truly joyous!
There were two things on my wish list when I halted for a day in Kolkata on my way to Bhutan. Since I had just about 24 hours, I had to pick and choose between my options carefully. No, it wasn't a meeting with Mamata Banerjee nor a dekko of the famous Howrah Bridge. The two items on my list were as diverse as chopsuey and biryani.
The first one, Victoria Memorial, was to serve as an introduction to the British Raj at Kolkata and the second one, the Kali Temple at Dakshineswar was a spiritual stopover, long sought.
Half an hour after landing, I made my way to the Victoria Memorial, the trademark edifice of Kolkata. The monument is to Kolkata what Taj Mahal is to Agra. With its sprawling gardens, exquisite sculptures and pristine white exteriors, the Indo-Saracenic structure, visualised at the turn of the century, is a repository of many historical events.
Ironically, though it was envisaged by Lord Curzon, after the death of Queen Victoria, as a memorial to both the Queen and the success of her empire in India, the money for the memorial came from princely states and rich Indians who were loyal to the empire.
It is said that some time in January 1901, Lord Curzon, suggested that people should contribute towards the grand memorial. Nothing less than a magnificent building with stunning sculptures, set within exquisite gardens could be a fitting memorial for the queen. According to some documents, the total cost came to a staggering sum of over one crore rupees, which in those days was a huge amount.
The architect, Sir William Emerson's fascination with the Taj Mahal is clearly evident in the design of the memorial. The lofty entrance, enormous central dome and the surrounding smaller ones, the chattris, and the corner towers — these elements were definitely inspired by the Taj as was the building material. Flawless marble from the mines of Makrana was brought to give shape to the monument. The huge gardens surrounding the memorial were also inspired by the char bagh of Taj.
As I joined the queue of Sunday revellers at the entrance, I reflected upon the time when Kolkata served as the capital of the British Raj in its early days till Delhi wrested the status of its capital.
The impressive collection of artefacts, paintings, manuscripts, pictures and memorabilia housed in the Victoria Hall takes one on a journey through the history of the state. The Royal Gallery, with its beautiful paintings depicts the important events in the life of Queen Victoria.
The museum has an extensive collection of paintings done by prominent British artists like Thomas Daniell and William Daniell, who have captured the essence of life in various cities of the country in several aquatints. The collection of priceless books, which include the Rubaiyyat by Omar Khaiyyam and the plays by Shakespeare, is a treat for the creatively inclined. Some of these date back to the mid-19th century.
After the visual and intellectual invigoration at the Victoria Memorial, I made my way towards the New Market nearby. Built by the British way back in 1874, once known as Hogg's Market, New Market is one of Kolkata's oldest markets. Since the British were entrenched in the nearby Fort William, it was natural they set up a market to cater to their needs, close by.
Spiritual stopover
It is a place where one can find almost everything, including good food, at a bargain. Not intent on shopping, I indulged myself in a sumptuous repast of street food before I began a rather exhausting journey towards the Dakshineswar Kali Temple on the banks of River Hooghly.
The first sight of the beautiful temple, so different in architecture from the Victorial Memorial, was a moving experience. Having grown up on stories of mystical saint Ramakrishna and his brilliant disciple, Vivekanand, this was a much coveted spiritual journey for me. Story goes that Rani Rashmoni, a rich and charitable widow, while setting out on a pilgrimage to Benares dreamt of Goddess Kali. The goddess instructed her to construct a temple on the banks of River Hooghly.
Rani Rashmoni is remembered not only for her role in constructing the famous Kali Temple but also for her role in standing up to the British and protesting against their excesses. She is the subject of many folklores of Bengal. The wilful lady forced the British to withdraw the unjust tax imposed for fishing in the Hooghly river. She also earned their wrath for defying the British ordinance that banned puja processions. The charitable widow also constructed many ghats along the river.
The beautiful temple, representing typical Bengal architectural elements like curved, do-chala roof, and nine spire style, was consecrated in 1855. The navratna (nine-spired) main temple houses the main deity Ma Kali or Bhavatarini, as she is also called. Twelve shrines along the periphery of the courtyard around the main temple are dedicated to the various avatars of Lord Shiva.
I joined the serpentine queue of devotees with the offerings of red hibiscus flowers, incense sticks and other paraphernalia, inching our way towards the sanctum sanctorum. This was where Ramakrishna Paramhansa attained his spiritual enlightenment. Another queue, though a shorter one, wound itself at the room where he stayed while serving as the priest to the temple. His principal disciple, Swami Vivekanand, founded a math at Belur, which eventually became the headquarters of the Ramakrishna mission.
As I made my way across the Hooghly river towards the Belur Math, I looked back at the magnificent temple that has stood the test of time. My spiritual quest satisfied, I watched the serenely flowing water of Hooghly as the motorboat spliced its way through it. My brief stopover at the city of joy had been truly joyous!