The Lanes of Calcutta : Marble Palace

Despite what people say I love my city - Calcutta. Not Kolkata but Calcutta. The word is just enough for me to fall in love with my city again and again. while some parts of the city has moved on with the times (Sector V),there are other parts that are happily laid back in time.it is that part of the city that pulls me and makes the city come alive.

A few days back i went to the old part of Calcutta and visited The Marble Palace.

It is a nineteenth century mansion built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in 1835.the mansion has marble floor and ceilings in intricate designs,mimicking Oriental rugs.it is said that there are 90 different kinds of marble all imported from all over the world.since i do not know much about architecture (except that the marble palace is exquisitely beautiful with very detailed work on all floors,ceilings,wall-panels,table tops,doors,window panes,pillars and every other possible area) i will just paste the description from a reliable site :

"The house is basically Neoclassical in style, while the plan with its open courtyards is largely traditional Bengali. The three-storey building has tall fluted Corinthian pillars and ornamented verandas with fretwork and sloping roofs, built in the style of a Chinese pavilion."

What first strikes you when you enter the grounds the path which was once used for horse drawn carriages,the lush overgrown lawn and the  innumerable sculptures of lions in various positions of sleeping,sitting,awake,prowling,statues of Buddha, Jesus,The Virgin Mary and Hindu Gods and an elegant, and intricately carved marble water fountain at one end of the garden.

The house has a huge collection of sculptures,paintings by both Indian and European artists,furniture,objects like ornate chandeliers,clocks.there were floor to ceiling Belgian mirrors,10 feet wide and almost 25 feet high with detailed hand carved gold leaved frames,vases,urns from the far East.there was one sculpture of Queen Victoria carved from a single bark of wood that leaves one awestruck.and the clocks can still tell time.there is one clock that chimes every fifteen minutes.Not to miss the statues of Sophocles,Thalia,Melpomene,Apollo,Mercury.

The reception hall has 4 statues depicting the 4 seasons,busts of various kings and Queens,2 statues of napoleon at 2 ends of the room and an ivory tusk.

The courtyard has four statues depicting the four continents – Europe, Africa, America (pre-Columbian) and Asia,a number of garden chairs.The family still celebrates Kali Pujo there.

The paintings are housed on the first floor.even the stairs leading to the first floor has a number of masterpieces hanging.Upstairs there are two paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds - The Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpent and Venus and Cupid- and two paintings by Rubens - The Marriage of St. Catherine and The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian.There are paintings by other artists like the great Italian painter Titian and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo,John Opie, Rembrandt, Jan Josephszoon Van Goyen,Winterhaulter and our very own Raja Ravi Varma and Bijoy Chandra.

The palace is still privately owned so photography is prohibited. Entry is free but one has to obtain a permit from the West Bengal Tourism Information Bureau 24 hours beforehand however bribes rule so no need for pre-obtained permit.The Marble Palace is open from 10 am to 4pm everyday except Mondays and Thursdays.

for animal lovers,there is a small zoo housing a number of rare birds including our national bird,a variety of hornbills,toucans,storks,cranes and barking deer,spotted deer. It is supposedly the first zoo in India.

One can see the sheer opulence and the grandeur that once existed but the palace is not well maintained.the paint is coming apart.its dusty.and half the things are scattered about as if they couldnt find a proper place to display them.and a number of Victorian furniture are covered with dusty cloth.the guides dont know much and dont let you enjoy the beauty at your own pace.they keep telling you to hurry up.but despite the obvious drawbacks your jaw will drop open as you feast your eyes on the various artefacts and the sheer richness and beauty of works of art.it is a tribute to the beauty mankind can achieve.

Once you leave through the gates the beauty,the elegance,the splendor of an age long gone,the decadance of the palace slowly starts to sink in.its almost perfect.