16th Aug 2014.
Forlorn Statue of Victoria (Queen Empress of India) at Madras University
Posted on the 16 August 2014 by Sampathkumar Sampath
This could easily be a ‘spot the bird or object’
contest….. but something more relevant – another statue sitting under a canopy
(forlorn and uncared for !) ………… a colonial vestige of a different kind.
For those who are inquisitive,
it is located at the Southern side of the Madras University – on the Wallajah
Road. The University of Madras (சென்னைப்
பல்கலைக்கழகம்)established
in 1857, it is one of the oldest and premier universities in India. Inside the
premises is the beautiful ‘Senate house’, the administrative centre, a classic
example of Indo-Saracenic architecture.
Now you are
going to read about - Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara, and Goday Narayana
Gajapathi Rao – a statue unveiled on 20th June 1887 by the Governor
funded by the latter. For sure, at that
time, it should have been a center piece, though now it is neither on the gate
nor people care to see – in fact, there is so much of thick vegetation that the
statue is almost covered from the road side… the couple of photos here were
taken by me earlier in Jan 2012 (now posted here)
It is that of Queen Victoria (Queen Empress of India)
[1819-1901], the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
from June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title
of Empress of India. Victoria was the daughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent
and Strathearn, the fourth son of King George III. She inherited the throne at the age of 18,
after her father's three elder brothers had all died, leaving no legitimate,
surviving children. The United Kingdom was already an established constitutional
monarchy, in which the sovereign held relatively little direct political power.
Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial
appointments. Publicly, she became a national icon, and was identified with
strict standards of personal morality.
Victoria married her first
cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, in 1840. Their nine children
married into royal and noble families across the continent, tying them together
and earning her the nickname "the grandmother of Europe". After
Albert's death in 1861, Victoria plunged into deep mourning and avoided public
appearances. Her reign of 63 years and
seven months, which is longer than that of any other British monarch and the
longest of any female monarch in history, is known as the Victorian era.
After the Indian Rebellion
of 1857, the British East India Company, which had ruled much of India, was
dissolved, and Britain's possessions and protectorates on the Indian
subcontinent were formally incorporated into the British Empire. The Royal Titles Act 1876 conferred on Victoria the
title "Empress of India" from May 1876. The new title was proclaimed
at the Delhi Durbar of 1 January 1877. The monarch could not pressurise
Disraeli to act against Russia during the Russo-Turkish War.
The statue in Chennai inside the Madras University was unveiled on 20th
June 1887, the day which marked the Golden jubilee of Queen Victoria
accession. It was unveiled by the then
Governor of Madras, Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara, who served as Under-Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs earlier. In 1890 he laid the foundations stone of the Connemara
Public Library in Madras. Lord Connemara was twice married. He married firstly
Lady Susan Georgiana, daughter of The 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, a former
Governor-General of India, in 1863. They divorced in 1890 and later he married
Gertrude, former wife of Edward Coleman.
The plaque in the statue reads : ‘statue erected in token of his
loyalty, respect and admiration of many virtues faithful subject – Goday Naraen
Gujputee Rao of Vizagapatam’……… Sir Goday Narayana Gajapathi Rao KCIE (1828 - 1903)
was an Indian aristocrat and politician who served as a member of the Madras
Legislative Council from 1868 to 1884. He belonged to one of the ancient and highly
respected families in Southern India, Goday family. He was born in the family of the zamindars of
Anakapalle and was associated with many educational institutions too.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
16th Aug 2014.
16th Aug 2014.