India: Kolkata – Victoria Memorial
Perhaps the greatest legacy of Britain in Kolkatta is the Victoria Memorial. When Queen Victoria died in 1901, the viceroy of India suggested a grand memorial dedicated to her (a regional governor trying to suck up to the faraway capital). The massive building and gardens were design in a mish-mash of styles combining the traditional colonial European architecture and the elements of Mughal and Bengal traditions. The white marble building is truly spectacular (no photography allowed inside which I politely abused and got yelled at).
