Information on Marble Palace (Kolkata, West Bengal) - History & Architecture

Marble Palace is a splendid mansion of 19th century which is situated in Kolkata of West Bengal. It is regarded as one of the best elegant constructions of Kolkata. The palace was created by Rajendra Mullick Bahadur in the year 1835. He was known as one of the richest property-owners of West Bengal. Marble Palace represents the splendour and extravagance of Calcutta during colonial era.

Marble Palace Architecture

As the name suggest, Marble Palace is popular for marble walls and floors. Excessive Italian marble had been used for creating the building. The main building of Marble Palace was constructed in neoclassical architectural style having Corinthian pillars. On the other hand, the base and yards of the palace is designed with traditional Bengali architecture. The yard of Marble Palace is enclosed by four sections of rooms in two surfaces. The building of the palace is situated within a creatively made garden. Apart from Bengali architecture, many European styles are also involved in the creation of the mansion.

Marble Palace is basically a three storeyed building having inspiring big columns. It is adorned with openwork galleries and oblique rooftops, created in Chinese marquee style. The palace has sequence of large halls. The interior of the palace is ornamented with Western statues and Victorian fixtures along with numerous vintage urns. The hall of marble Palace is designed with beautiful portraits by various European and Indian artists. The palace also possesses ranges of decorative objects such as vintage clocks, big chandeliers and woody sculpture of Queen Victoria among others.

Behind Marble Palace, there is a lawn, cluttered with sculptures of various gods. There is also a small zoo in the palace which houses several outlandish animals and birds. The floors of Marble Palace is made by bright marble on a massive scale with calico influence. Even the lamps of the palace have comprehensive designs, particularly those which are situated in stairway. There also exist an old Jagannath temple within the grounds of Marble Palace which antedates the construction itself. Due to its beautiful architecture, several film directors had used this palace in order to shoot movies.

Marble Palace History

There is no such significant history which is related with Marble Palace. As stated above, it was created by Rajendra Mullick in the year 1835. He had a desire for arts and its true example can be observed in the creation of the palace. At present, Marble Palace continues to be the home of the decedents of Rajendra Mullick and his family members. According to history, Rajendra Mullick was the adopted son of Nilmoni Mullick who was the creator of the Jagannath temple inside the premise of Marble Palace. However, the temple is only accessible to the family members of Rajendra Mullick. Marble Palace is entitled by Lord Minto because, about 126 diverse type of marbles which were gathered from different parts of the world were used in order to develop this delightful building.

Marble Palace Tourism Importance

Due to its astonishing design, Marble Palace is considered as a good place for tourism. Its pleasingly arranged gardens and exceptional assortment of antiques increases the historic value of the palace. Furthermore, there are many attractions in Marble Palace for tourists such as delightful articulator and ranges of portraits created by various Indian and European artists. However, since it is a private property, tourists are unable to shoot any photo inside the premise of the palace. Nevertheless, travellers can enjoy small zoo inside the palace which houses many animals and birds.