Raj Bhavan, Kolkata
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Raj Bhavan is the
official residence An official residence is the House, residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, Clergy, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-relate ...
of the
governor of West Bengal The Governor of West Bengal is the nominal head of state of the Indian state of West Bengal and a representative of the President of India. The governor is appointed by the president for a term of five years. His official residence is the Raj ...
, located in
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, the capital of the Indian state of
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. Built in 1803, it was known as Government House before Indian independence. After the transfer of power from the
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
to the
British Crown The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...
in 1858, it became the official residence of the
Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
, moving here from the Belvedere Estate. With the shifting of the British Indian capital from then Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, it became the official residence of Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Since independence in 1947 it serves as the official residence of the Governor of West Bengal and came to be known as the Raj Bhavan, a name it shares with the official residences of other states' governors.


History

In the early nineteenth century Calcutta (
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
) was at the height of its golden age. Known as the City of Palaces or
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
of the East, Calcutta was the richest, largest and the most elegant colonial cities of India. It was during this time that one of Calcutta's finest colonial structures, Government House (later Raj Bhavan), was constructed. Before 1799, the Governor-General resided in a rented house, called Buckingham House, located in the same location. The land belonged to Mohammad Reza Khan, a Nawab of Chitpur. It was in 1799 that the then Governor-General of India, The 1st Marquess Wellesley, took the initiative of building a palace, because he believed that India should be ruled from a palace and not from a country house. Lord Wellesley wanted to make a statement to the imperial authority and power and so the building was done on a grand scale. After four years' construction it was completed at a colossal cost of £63,291 (about £3.8 million in today's estimate). Wellesley was charged for misusing of
East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
’s fund and was finally recalled back to England in 1805. Although Wellesley lost his job, he does have the credit of giving
Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
one of its finest colonial mansions. In 1892, the
Otis Elevator Company Otis Worldwide Corporation (trade name, branded as the Otis Elevator Company, its former legal name) is an American company that develops, manufactures and markets elevators, escalators, moving walkways, and related equipment. Based in Farming ...
installed the first elevator in India at the Raj Bhavan.


Architecture

Designed by Capt. Charles Wyatt and on the lines of the Curzon’s family mansion of the
Kedleston Hall Kedleston Hall is a neo-classical manor house, and seat of the :Curzon family, Curzon family, located in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately 4 miles (6 km) north-west of Derby. The medieval village of Kedleston was moved in 1759 by Nathanie ...
of
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
,Roy, Nishitranjan,''Swasato Kolkata Ingrej Amaler Sthapathya'', , pp. 48, 1st edition, 1988, Prtikhan Press Pvt. Ltd. the Raj Bhavan follows a Neoclassical style with distinct Baroque overtones. In a strange coincidence, a 100 years after its construction started, the most illustrious son of the Curzon family,
George Nathaniel Curzon George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...
came to occupy the Raj Bhavan as the Viceroy of India. Lord Curzon described the Government House as “without doubt the finest Government House occupied by the representative of any Sovereign or Government in the world.” Since the days of Lord Wellesley the Raj Bhavan had undergone several changes. In 1860s the Viceroy Lord Elgin added the metallic Dome. Lord Curzon brought electricity and lift (popularly known as the ‘Bird Cage Lift”) to Raj Bhavan. The tiny ornamentally designed “Bird Cage Lift” operates to this day. The plan comprises a central core with four radiating wings. The state rooms located in the central core are accessed from the outside by a flight of grand steps on the north. On the south is another portico surmounted by a colonnaded verandah with a dome above. The four wings accommodate the various offices and residential quarters along with four sets of staircases. The plan of the wings allows for a great deal of natural ventilation in the spaces while also permitting views across the gardens. The entire compound is surrounded by a
balustrade A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...
d wall with a grand arched gateways. The Raj Bhavan covers an area of and is surrounded by a compound of . The Raj Bhavan has six gateways, one each on the north and south and two each on the east and west. The four gates on the east and west have grand archways topped with lions, while the minor archways on the side are topped with sphinxes. The best view of the Raj Bhavan is obtained from the North Gate, which also serves as the main gate. A long walk past a decorated Chinese cannon leads to a flight of stairs to the portico crowned with the triangular pediment supported by six ionic pillars. The Chinese cannon, mounted on a dragon and flanked with minor cannons, was brought from Nanking in 1842. An inscription on a marble plaque reads “The peace dictated to the Emperor of China under the walls of Nanking by the military force of England and of India.” The South gate also provides a grand view, with the tree lined drive leading on to the lofty ionic pillars supporting the huge metallic dome. Entry inside the complex is strictly prohibited but photography is allowed from outside the gates with permission of the officer in charge at the gate.


Features

The plan comprises a central core with four radiating wings. The state rooms located in the central core are accessed from the outside by a flight of grand steps on the north. On the south is another portico surmounted by a colonnaded verandah with a dome above. The four wings accommodate the various offices and residential quarters along with four sets of staircases. The plan of the wings allows for a great deal of natural ventilation in the spaces while also permitting views across the gardens. The entire compound is surrounded by a balustraded wall with a grand arched gateway at each of the four cardinal points. The plan of the building is very typical, a little like a man standing on his feet and holding two boxes in his two hands. The front of the palace faces north-east.


Interior

The three-storeyed Raj Bhavan building has a huge central area consisting of large halls having curved corridors on all four sides radiating to detached wings, each constituting a house in itself. There are about 60 rooms in Raj Bhavan, besides public halls, verandahs, porticos, banquets & halls and the cavernous Throne room.


Residential suites

The residential portion is divided into four suites. The
Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
Suite in the north-west wing of the first floor is where the
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
,
Vice-President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
and the
Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...
and heads of state of other nations reside when visiting the state of
West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
. The Wellesley Suite is located on the second floor in the north-eastern wing, the Dufferin Suite is on the second floor of north-west wing, and the fourth suite is the
Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson ...
Suite. The ex-governor, Keshrinath Tripati has, however, changed the names of these suites to Indian names, e.g.: Prince of Wales suite to Rabindranath Tagore kaksh, Wellesley suite to Sagar kaksh, Dufferin Suite to Kanchenjunga kaksh and Anderson Suite to Vivekananda kaksh.


Drawing and dining rooms

Yellow Drawing Room: Located on the first floor of the Raj Bhavan, the beautiful drawing room has some wonderful paintings. Blue Drawing Room: An elegantly furnished room used by the governor to meet guest. Brown Dining Room: Adjacent to the Blue Dining room, it is used for small conferences and meetings.


Halls and banquet rooms

Throne Room: The Throne Room, as the name suggests, contains the throne of Wellesley. Next to it is the throne of
Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He int ...
. The room contains oil paintings of
Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
,
Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose ( ; 23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945 * * * * * * * * *) was an Indian nationalist whose defiance of British authority in India made him a hero among Indians, but his wartime alliances with Nazi Germany and Imperia ...
,
Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
, Dr B C Roy. It also contains an Urn used to carry the Mahatma Gandhi's ashes. Council Chamber: The Governor General used the Council Chamber to preside over the executive and later the Legislative Council. Now it is used by the governor to hold large meetings. A small dining room known as the Bharat Ratna Room and a billiard room is located just outside the Council Chamber. The Marble Hall: Located on the ground floor of the Raj Bhavan, this is used for state and private meetings. The Banquet Hall: The Banquet Hall with rows of
Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...
pillars on each side, flowering chandeliers and black
Mahogany Mahogany is a straight-grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Unive ...
tables has entertained eminent guests like Queen Elizabeth.


Picture gallery


Old photos

Rajbhavan1.jpg, Government House, Calcutta, by
John Christian Schetky John Christian Schetky (11 August 1778 – 29 January 1874) was a Scotland, Scottish Marine art, marine painter. Early life Schetky was descended from an old Hungarian people, Hungarian-Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvan ...
FraserCalcuttaGovernmentHouse.jpg, A View of the Government House from the eastern side-1819. Engraved by R Havell Jr In Views of Calcutta and its Environs by James Baillie Fraser Rajbahavan.jpg, Calcutta - Government House, South Front, by
Samuel Bourne Samuel Bourne (30 October 1834 – 24 April 1912) was a British photographer known for his prolific seven years' work in India, from 1863 to 1870. Together with Charles Shepherd, he set up Bourne & Shepherd first in Shimla in 1863 and later i ...
Samuel Davis - New Government House at Calcutta - B1977.14.177 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg, New Government House at Calcutta by Samuel Davis Gouvernementshuis te Calcutta in India, KITLV 152331.tiff, The Government House of Calcutta, bird's eye view,


Present photos

Government House - Kolkata 2011-12-18 0188.JPG, Raj Bhavan on a foggy winter morning Raj Bhavan 3.jpg, Raj Bhavan from South Gate Raj Bhaban 2.jpg, Arched gate Raj Bhavan Governor's House.jpg, Governor's House in a winter morning


See also

* Government Houses of the British Indian Empire


References


External links


The official website of Governor of West Bengal
* * * *

Undated 19th Century painting {{Tourist attractions in Kolkata Governors' houses in West Bengal Houses completed in 1803 Palaces in Kolkata Tourist attractions in Kolkata Governors' houses in India Government buildings in West Bengal Neoclassical architecture in India