As I peeped in from the boundary grills, I was awestruck by the grandeur of the majestic palatial building surrounded by greenery. Muktaram Babu Street in Kolkata is quite a narrow lane and one can hardly expect such a grandiose here. We showed our permission letter(for visit) collected from West Bengal Tourism Department office and stepped into the passion and wealth of Raja Rajendra Mullik, an affluent Bengali merchant and art connoisseur who built this palace in 1835.
The first sculpture that catches the eye is the sculpture of lions around the fountain. Their posture and appearance feels as it they are ready to pounce with a roar. Crossing the beautiful marble fountain decorated with motifs we entered the grand portico, held by Tuscan Columns. Tuscan columns are from Roman architecture and the building it seems was designed by a French architect.
You need to remove your shoes outside and hire a guide. The place is privately maintained by the family and they are still residing in one part.
The palace is divided into five halls - Reception Hall, Painting Room, Sculpture room, Billiards Room and Thakur Dalan(place of worship). Amidst exquisite sculptures, paintings, large porcelaine vases, Belgian glassware, varieties of patterned marble, huge chandeliers, floor to ceiling mirrors, victorian furnitures etc. things that would definitely catch your eye are a large rosewood sculpture of queen Victoria, Metal sculptures of Napoleon Bonaparte, huge Japanese bronze vase(used for burning incense sticks), Venus(or a Greek lady) dressed as a Red Indian, Venus and cupid in more than one sculptures and paintings, and the plaster of paris statues of Lakshman and Surpanakha(from Indian classic Ramayana) at the Thakurdalan. It seems Lord Rama and Sita were also there but their statues fallen off. Anyway, Lakshman and Surpanakha’s’could have been a love story’ was the moot point in Ramayana. So, they are still around. However, surprisingly, Suparnakha’s physique and attire are more Western than Dravidian.
Outside, there is a private zoo and a temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath(open to only the family members).
Timings: 10 am - 4 pm(Thursday Closed)
Nearest Metro Station - Girish Park
Photography strictly prohibited