MESMERIZING MARBLE PALACE

All over India there are total 29 beautiful states which make it more difficult for you to choose a proper destination for yourself, especially if you have an intense interest in historic exploration, then Kolkata is one of the best among all. As though we all know Calcutta (now Kolkata) was the Capital of India during British Raj so it is very obvious that there are lots of history for you to explore. Mable Palace is one of those British Raj monuments which you can’t actually afford to miss a chance to visit.

HISTORY:-
This mansion was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in year 1835. He was a wealthy merchant who obtained a graceful fantasy of making a huge collection of antic art works. The mansion has always been a living place for his ancestors and currently Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur’s family are the occupants of the mansion.

COLLECTION:-
Marble palace is full of antic western sculptures, furniture of Victorian era, verities of paintings by European and Indian artists. As though the interior of the palace is decorated with beautiful large chandeliers, clocks, floor to ceiling mirrors, urns, and royal busts. There are paintings made by Peter Paul Rubens, Sir. Joshua Reynolds, Titian, Bartolome Esteban Murillo and John Opie.
Honestly this palace has a lavish collection of art pieces. Geoffrey Moorhouse in his book Calcutta says it looks "as if they had been scavenged from job lots on the Portobello Road on a series of damp Saturday afternoons."

STRUCTURE:-
It’s a mansion built over the plan of typical Bengali structure. It is a neoclassic in style and has large open courtyards and just next to it is the “THAKURDALAN” (the place where God or Goddess is been worshiped in the house). This three storied building has tall fluted Corinthian pillars and ornamented verandas with fretwork and sloping roofs influenced by Chinese pavilion. The premises include a garden, lawn, a small zoo, rock garden and a beautiful lake as well.

MARBEL PALACE ZOO:-
This zoo is located just next to the palace considered to be the very first zoon in India by Raja Rajendra Mullick. In the zoo you can see peacocks, monkey, hornbills, pelicans, storks, cranes and varies species of deer.

EXTRAS:-
Raja Rajendra Mullick was the adopted son of Nilmoni Mullick, who built a Jagannath temple which predates Marble Palace, and still stands within the premises, but only family members are allowed to access in there. The final scene of the French novel Le vol des cigognes de Jean-Christophe Grange takes place in the Marble Palace. The mansion is famous for its marble walls, floors, and sculptures, from which it derives its name.

LOCATION:-
It is located at 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata 700007. It is one of the best- preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta.

RULES & REGULATIONS:-
As Marble palace is a privet mansion to visit so a proper permission is required to visit the premises of this beautiful palace.Entry is free, but a permit must be obtained 24 hours in advance from the West Bengal Tourism Information Bureau at BBD Bag, Kolkata. Inside the house guards are always available to help the tourists or visitors and provide a proper guidance about the palace inside.

TIMINGS:-
Marble Palace is open from 10am to 4pm on all days except Mondays and Thursdays.

TRAVEL:-
Metro is the most convenient route to travel to Marble palace and Mahatma Gandhi road is the nearest metro station. Other than that any bus or cab towards south could help you easily reach to your destination.

Come over and visit this wonderful palace and live the life of British era in Kolkata,India.
By Isita Thapa, 25 January, 2019.