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Kolkata Skyscraper Rises Over Lost Royal Palace
2 May
Summary
- The 42, Kolkata's tallest building, stands on land once owned by the Darbhanga royal family.
- The royal family contributed significant gold, aircraft, and land during the 1962 war.
- Much of the vast Darbhanga estate wealth was lost due to mismanagement after 1962.
The 42, a 268-meter residential skyscraper, now dominates Kolkata's skyline, having been completed in 2019. This prominent building occupies the land where Darbhanga House, the former palace of the extensive Darbhanga royal family, once stood.
The Darbhanga royals were renowned for their immense wealth and significant contributions to the nation. During the 1962 India-China War, they donated approximately 600 kg of gold, three aircraft, and 90 acres of land to the government.
Despite an estimated Rs 2,000 crore fortune in 1962, much of the Darbhanga estate's wealth was reportedly lost to mismanagement in the years following Maharaja Kameshwar Singh's death. Today, less than two percent of that substantial inheritance is believed to remain.
