I had always marvelled at the magnificent piece of Roman –Doric style architecture of the Kolkata Town Hall whenever I passed by. The pristine white building with it’s great Corinthian pillars adorning the front reminds us of the colonial past of the city. This time I had the chance to visit the interior as my company had hosted a staff meet here. The interior is equally impressive, with the grand hall accommodating all 600+ of our staffs easily. The grandeur of the hall, the beautiful statues, the wooden floor, lobby were definitely a feast for the eyes. I wish the great chandeliers were lit instead of the CFL lamps which could never to justice to the ambiance of the great hall. Built in 1813, at a cost of around seven lacs, this building was meant for social gatherings. The entire fund was raised thru lottery from the public. Later the hall was used as the council chamber of the Bengal Legislative Council and also for judicial purpose in 1870, when the present building of the High Court was being built. During the Second World War, the main hall was temporarily converted into rationing office. In the year 1975, most of it’s huge collection of paintings and sculptures had been moved to Victoria Memorial Hall. One can still see few marble and stone sculptures including that of Rabindranath Tagore. It’s still remains as one of the major attractions of Kolkata and an integral part of history of British Raj.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 12:08:11 +0000
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