Marble Palace

The Marble Palace at 46 Muktaram Babu Street in Jorasanko, North Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is a nineteenth-century mansion built in 1835 by the wealthy merchant Raja Rajendra Mullick. The neoclassical building is named for its extensive use of imported marble in floors, columns and statuary, and it remains partly occupied by descendants of the Mullick family. Visitors are taken through the house in guided groups and see a series of grand rooms filled with an eclectic collection of European furniture, Venetian glass, Belgian mirrors, Chinese vases, chandeliers and clocks, along with Greco-Roman style marble statues and a gallery of European paintings. A large courtyard with a colonnaded verandah and a temple to Jagannath forms the centre of the complex. The grounds were once known for a private collection of birds, and parts of the garden still hold an aviary and a pond. The guided tour takes about one to one and a half hours, and the crowded interior means that the visit is best done on a weekday morning. Entry is free but a written permit is required, which must be obtained in advance from the West Bengal Tourism Information Bureau at BBD Bagh, ideally at least one working day before the visit, and visitors should bring a passport or photo ID. The palace is open only Tuesday to Wednesday and Friday to Sunday, and is closed on Mondays and Thursdays. Photography inside the house is not permitted, and cameras and phones may need to be left at the entrance. Visitors should dress modestly and respect the privacy of the family living in the building. The mansion sits close to Jorasanko Thakur Bari and Kumartuli, so many visitors combine all three into a single North Kolkata heritage day on foot or by auto.