Baroda’s Royal Gift: The Victoria Statue at Mumbai

In 1872, Mumbai (then Bombay) saw the unveiling of its first-ever statue of Queen Victoria, a monumental tribute that marked the transition of power in India following the events of 1857. This grand monument was largely a gift from Maharaja Khanderao Gaekwad II of Baroda, who dedicated it in 1846, though it was officially unveiled decades later on April 29, 1872, by the Governor. Crafted by the renowned London sculptor Matthew Noble, the statue was carved from the finest Carrara marble and stood roughly 8 feet 6 inches tall. It depicted the Queen seated as if in the House of Lords, dressed in her robes of state, holding the sceptre and globe, and adorned with the Star of India and the badge of the Order of the Garter.

What made this monument truly iconic was its massive, 45-foot-tall neo-Gothic marble canopy. Built using nearly 350 tons of Sicilian and light Sienna marble, the structure was a masterpiece of symbolic architecture. It featured intricate carvings of the English rose and the Indian lotus, alongside inscriptions in four languages and the dual mottoes “God and My Right” and “The Light of Heaven our Guide.” Symbols of strength and friendship, oak and ivy leaves, decorated its columns, creating a visual bridge between British and Indian heritage.

While the statue was originally meant to stand as a pair with Noble’s sculpture of Prince Albert, history took it on a different path. After facing acts of vandalism at its original site in Victoria Gardens, the marble figure of the Queen was moved for protection to the grounds of the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum (formerly the Victoria and Albert Museum), where it remains today. Interestingly, the towering canopy was separated from the statue and eventually entered private hands. It now stands as a stunning garden folly at JK House, the residence of the Singhania family, serving as a quiet reminder of the craftsmanship and the royal ties of the Baroda State in the 19th century.

As a glaring symbol of colonial rule, the monument eventually became a target for political dissent. In the 1920s, Indian nationalists defaced the statue, and over the following decades, it faced constant threats of further disfigurement. By the mid-1960s, the decision was made to permanently remove the imperial figure for its own protection.

Archival photographs from August 1965 capture the tense, final moments of the monument on Esplanade Road. As workers strapped the massive marble Queen to a crane to lift her from the pedestal, the structural integrity failed under the tension and the Queen’s head snapped clean off. Historical images vividly document the statue suddenly standing headless mid-lift before being hauled away.

One can also view the original photo from the Royal Collection Trust, UK website