Raj Bhavan (West Bengal)

resides in this building.

History

Raj Bhavan used to be the "Government House" in the Raj era, the seat of British imperial power. The structure was built in 1799–1803 to the designs of Captain Charles Wyatt of the Bengal Engineers, during the tenure of Marquess Wellesley as the Governor-General of India. it serves as the residence of the Governor of the Indian state of West Bengal, and is referred to by its Hindi name ("Raj Bhavan").

tructure

The three-storied structure of Raj Bhavan was inspired by the Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire. Interestingly, the Kedleston Hall is the ancestral house of Marquess Curzon , who became the Viceroy of India (from 1899 to 1904) and lived in Government House exactly a century after Wellesly.

[
Kedleston Hall] While the basic features of Kedleston such as the Palladian Front, the Dome etc. have been faithfully copied , the Government House is a much larger, three storeyed structure. Also, the Government of India evidently did not have the funding constraints that forced the Curzons to leave their house incomplete. Government House has all four wings originally conceived for Kedleston. So today, a "complete," brick built Kedleston, on a much grander scale, is located in its acres of gardens at the heart of the Kolkata business district.Raj Bhavan consists of a total area of 27 acres. The building has convert|84000|sqft|m2|-2|abbr=on of floor space.

Interior

The residential portion is divided into 4 suites. The "Prince of Wales suite" in the north-west wing of the first floor is the suite where the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister of India reside when visiting the state of West Bengal. The "Wellesley suite" is located on the second floor in the north-eatern wing. The "Dufferin suite" is on the second floor of north-west wing. The fourth suite is the "Anderson suite."

Occasional public meetings by the Governor are held in the magnificent "marble hall" in the ground floor. The "Council Chamber" used to be the meeting place of Executive Council of the Governor General. The "Brown Dining Room" was used as the breakfast room, while the adjoining "Blue Drawing Room" is the room where the Governor meets guests. The "Throne Room" is like a Durbar where princes were welcomed and durbars held. Besides, there are the " Banquet Hall" and the "Ball Room."

There is a gun mounted on a dragon towards the north gate. Around the main gun there are ten guns that were taken from the Chinese, in commemoration of the peace initiated by Treaty of Nanking by the Naval and Military forces of England and India under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker and of Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Gough.

Photography and Books

Few vintage photographs dating back to the British Raj era, mostly taken by Samuel Bourne and Johnston & Hoffmen are available at some libraries and Universities. Some post independence photographs are also there as official records. But, until very recently, there was not much of creative photography done to capture the architectural grandeur of this magnificent heritage building.

The building is easily the most monumental and spectacular, also one of the earliest and the best preserved of the imperial architectural heritage of the city. The building was steeped in Imperial extravagance and had the philosophy behind it that "‘…India should be governed from a palace and not from a country house…’" About the building, India’s former Governor General Lord Curzon said that "“…it is without doubt, the finest Government House occupied by the representative of any Sovereign or Government in the world…”"

On 20 June 2008, a photo-album, coffee-table book titled ‘Raj Bhavan of Kolkata – A Photographic Tour’ with photographs taken by Anirban Mitra (a Calcutta based young photographer) has been released at Raj Bhavan, Kolkata in presence of Shri Gopalkrishna Gandhi, The Honourable Governor of West Bengal. Distinguished personalities of Kolkata, press and media were present. Eminent speakers spoke on the history and heritage of Raj Bhavan and Calcutta.

* [http://rajbhavankolkata.gov.in/pdf/forewordtoanirbanmitraphotographictour.pdf The book has the Foreword written by the Governor.]

2 online links of the media coverage provided below:

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080711/jsp/opinion/story_9534769.jsp

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080622/jsp/calcutta/story_9443441.jsp,

The book is a unique suite of over 50 traditional black & white images that capture the mood and grandeur of this magnificent building and its premises.Raj Bhavan – one of the greatest architectural marvels of India and a part of its history and heritage, was never before so prolifically captured in the photographic medium. The book presents an intimate view of Raj Bhavan to the discerning viewer in form of a photographic tour. When one flips through the pages, he will be able make a journey in history and enjoy the nostalgia of the Old Calcutta, whos gracious past will always tend to overpower its present. Inspired by the great masters, in order to maintain the chiaroscuro and drama of natural light, the photographer has shot this entire work in available light. Believing in the philosophy that the camera is the ‘third eye’ and extension of the photographer’s own self, he had hand-held his camera and never touched gadgets like tripods etc while shooting.

This is a labour of love and a non profit making venture for the photographer…as his royalty earnings from the sale of the book will be proceeded towards the Governor of West Bengal’s welfare fund. So, any person buying the book will contribute towards general welfare.

ee also

*Government Houses of India

External links

* [http://rajbhavankolkata.nic.in/ The official website of Governor of West Bengal]
* [http://www.acarm.org/buildings/india.html A profile]
* [http://www.wmcarey.edu/carey/wmward/Misc%20html/govhouse.html Some images]
* [http://www.catchcal.com/kaleidoscope/places_to_visit/raj_bhawan.asp Information on Raj Bhavan]