On the death of Queen Victoria in January 1901, Lord Curzon, then India's Viceroy, thought of building a stately, spacious, grand memorial to the woman who was the Empress of India.
What he had in mind was a historic museum surrounded by a beautiful garden (eventually laid out by Lord Redesdale and Sir David Prain), where people would get a chance to relive their past.
The princes and people of India responded generously to Curzon's appeal for funds.
The total cost of construction -- entirely derived from voluntary subscriptions -- amounted to approximately Rs 1 crore or Rs 10 million then.
Victoria Memorial sources say this would be worth approximately Rs 19,000 crore or Rs 190 billion today!
Earlier Slide Show: Your ticket to Mumbai's past
The Victoria Memorial Trust, an autonomous organisation, is currently governed by a board of trustees with West Bengal's governor as the chairperson.
Advertisement
