Marble Palace

Description:

• Up a back street, in what was once known as Black Town, stands a vast mansion -- a wonder to behold -- sporting a plush Romanesque veneer that incorporates at least 90 different varieties of marble. Built in 1835 by the wealthy zamindar (landowner) Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur, this palatial family home has seen better days, and is now the center of a bitter feud between relatives, some of whom have been accused of sneaking off with the more valuable displays. But several works attributed to Titian and Renoir remain, while Venetian chandeliers; Ming vases; Egyptian statuary; and paintings, sculptures, furniture, and antique vases accumulated from 90 countries crowd the enormous, dimly lit rooms that open off deep verandas around an inner courtyard. Get there soon, since the feuding of the Mullicks makes it uncertain which prized item might next disappear. Admission is free, but you need a pass from the India Tourism Kolkata Office; if you arrive without one, the guard will let you in for a small fee (although this simply adds to the culture of corruption in India). A guide (at times, a young boy trying to make pocket money) is sent with you but it's pretty much a sham -- insist on someone knowledgeable. In the same compound, you'll find a small garden and an animal enclosure.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Highly Recommended 2010