Raj Bhavan, Kolkata: History, interesting facts, and timings

The Raj Bhavan is regarded as one of the most important buildings in the city’s history and is a major tourist attraction.

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The Raj Bhavan is Kolkata’s most recognisable landmark, serving as both a reminder of and a transcendent expression of the city’s historical significance. Formerly known as Government House, Raj Bhavan in Kolkata was formerly the centre of British rule in India.

It’s a three-storey structure with a large centre room and spacious hallways, and it looks a little bit like the White House. The overall area of Raj Bhavan is 27 acres, while the structure itself is 84,000 square feet Separate wings that function as homes are accessible by curved passageways on all sides of the structure. The main part of the first floor houses the Throne Room, the Banquet Hall, the Blue Drawing Room, and the Brown Dining Room. The most luxurious of the rooms, the Prince of Wales Suite, is located on the first level. On the second story, you will find luxurious residential units. 

Sir Fredrick Burrows was the final British governor to live at Raj Bhavan before it was given to India’s first Governor, Shri C Rajagopalachari. Built between 1799 and 1803, Raj Bhavan was inspired by the Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, which was Lord Curzon’s family mansion. 

Raj Bhavan, Kolkata: Timings and entry Fees 

• The Raj Bhavan welcomes Visitors from Monday through Saturday each week (10:00 am – 7:00 pm). The Raj Bhavan tour is free of charge. 
• Indian Nationals are required to possess genuine Government-issued photo identification cards.
• Foreign tourists are required to carry both photocopies and the original of their passports.

Raj Bhavan Kolkata: Interesting facts

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• At each of the six entrances, either a lion or a sphinx stands above the main archway, while lions guard the smaller archways at the four western and eastern gates.
• The north entrance, also the principal entrance, provides the finest overall perspective of the building.
•  In 1842, a brilliantly adorned Chinese cannon was transported from Nanking. The Chinese canon, seen here on a dragon and flanked by other guns, was sent to Boston from Nanking in 1842. The English and Indian armed forces “dictated” peace to the Chinese Emperor “behind the gates of Nanking,” as the inscription puts it.
• There are around 60 rooms at Raj Bhavan, not including the public halls, banquet halls, porticos, verandas, and the magnificent Throne Room.
• The Prince of Wales Suite is located in the residential section and is set aside for the president, vice president, prime minister, and any other heads of state who may be in town for a short period. In addition to the Dufferin and Anderson Suites, there is also the Wellesley Suite. Rabindranath Tagore, Sagar, Kanchenjunga, and Vivekananda Kaksh are the new names.
• The Raj Bhavan also features the Blue Drawing Room, Brown Dining Room, Throne Room (throne of Wellesley, throne of Tipu Sultan, oil portraits of renowned individuals and the urn used for conveying the remains of Mahatma Gandhi), Council Chamber, Marble Hall and Banquet Hall.

Raj Bhavan, Kolkata: History

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In 1803, when it was constructed, Raj Bhavan was known as the Government House. After the East India Company’s control of India was ceded to the British Crown in 1858, it became the Viceroy’s official residence. When the capital was moved to Delhi in 1911, it instead served as the official residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. After India’s independence, it became Raj Bhavan, the official house of the Governor of West Bengal.

Kolkata, India, under British rule, reached its zenith in the early nineteenth century. Kolkata was the biggest, wealthiest, and most powerful colonial metropolis in India. It was also known as the St. Petersburg of the East and the City of Palaces. The Government House, Kolkata’s most opulent colonial building, was constructed around this time. In the year 1799, Lord Wellesley, who was serving as the Governor General of India at the time, took the main step of building a palace because, in his words, “India should be controlled from a grand castle and not from any country home.” He had the goal of constructing an impressive building, and the end result was the Raj Bhavan, which was finished at a huge cost of 63,291 pounds after four years of construction.

Raj Bhavan, Kolkata: Design and architecture 

• Captain Charles Wyatt designed Raj Bhavan, which bears a remarkable similarity to Kedleston Hall in England, the ancestral home of Curzon. The design of Raj Bhavan is characterised by elements of neoclassicism and baroque.
• Several alterations have been made to Raj Bhavan. The building’s metal dome was installed by Viceroy Elgin in the 1860s. The “Bird Cage Lift ” was introduced by Lord Curzon and is still in service.
• The structure of Raj Bhavan consists of a central core and four radial wings. The guest rooms in the central core are accessible from the outside through a grand stairway leading to the north. Another portico with a collonaded verandah and a dome is located to the south. The four wings include a variety of workplaces and living spaces. Also located to the south are portico, colonnade, and verandas that provide enough ventilation for the structure.

Raj Bhavan, Kolkata: The current value of Raj Bhavan is close to Rs 2,000 crores  

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The going rate for prime commercial real estate where Raj Bhavan is located is between Rs 15,000 and Rs 17,000 per square feet. Supposing that this historical landmark has the highest possible value, it would be estimated to be worth approximately Rs 1,999,50,50,000. Taking into account the importance of Raj Bhavan from a historical, sociopolitical, and cultural perspective, the cost might end up being far greater than 2,000 crores.

Know about: Flats for sale in Kolkata 

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