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Homedevmaster2024-04-27T10:47:08+05:30
devmaster2026-06-07T15:58:36+05:30
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Fire Brigade In British Era Bombay, 1910 Postcard
Gallery

Fire Brigade In British Era Bombay, 1910 Postcard

Fire Brigade In British Era Bombay, 1910 Postcard

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Fire Brigade In British Era Bombay, 1910 Postcard A 1910 postcard of a fire brigade in action in British-era Bombay ....read more

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Gateway Of India When A King Passed Through, 1942 Photo
Gallery

Gateway Of India When A King Passed Through, 1942 Photo

Gateway Of India When A King Passed Through, 1942 Photo

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Gateway Of India When A King Passed Through, 1942 Photo A 1942 photo of the majestic Gateway of India when ....read more

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Panoramic View of 19th Century Calcutta, 1880 Photo
Gallery

Panoramic View of 19th Century Calcutta, 1880 Photo

Panoramic View of 19th Century Calcutta, 1880 Photo

Calcutta Photos, Old India Photos

Panoramic View of 19th Century Calcutta, 1880 Photo   An old 1880 photo with a panoramic view of a beautiful ....read more

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devmaster2023-12-23T16:54:49+05:30
war memorial bombay
Port Trust War Memorial Ballard Estate Bombay – 2 PCs 1935
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Port Trust War Memorial Ballard Estate Bombay – 2 PCs 1935

Port Trust War Memorial Ballard Estate Bombay – 2 PCs 1935

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Port Trust War Memorial Ballard Estate Bombay - 2 PCs 1935 pastindia.com Two 1935 postcards of the Port ....read more

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Parsi Festival At The Back Bay Beach, 1905 Postcard
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Parsi Festival At The Back Bay Beach, 1905 Postcard

Parsi Festival At The Back Bay Beach, 1905 Postcard

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Parsi Festival At The Back Bay Beach, 1905 Postcard A 1905 postcard of Parsis celebrating a festival day at the ....read more

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Colaba Cotton Green Bombay – 3 Postcards 1900
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Colaba Cotton Green Bombay – 3 Postcards 1900

Colaba Cotton Green Bombay – 3 Postcards 1900

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Colaba Cotton Green Bombay - 3 Postcards 1900 Three old postcards that show the Cotton Green at Colaba in Bombay ....read more

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Early View of Marine Drive From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1880 Photo
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Early View of Marine Drive From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1880 Photo

Early View of Marine Drive From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1880 Photo

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Early View of Marine Drive From Malabar Hill Bombay, 1880 Photo An 1880 photo of an early view of Marine ....read more

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The Imposing Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 1905 Photo
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The Imposing Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 1905 Photo

The Imposing Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 1905 Photo

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The Imposing Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 1905 Photo A 1905 photo of the imposing Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay (Mumbai). ....read more

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Rajabai Clock Tower & Garden Bombay, 1890 Photo
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Rajabai Clock Tower & Garden Bombay, 1890 Photo

Rajabai Clock Tower & Garden Bombay, 1890 Photo

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Rajabai Clock Tower & Garden Bombay, 1890 Photo An 1890 photocrom color photo of the iconic Rajabai Clock Tower and ....read more

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First Line Beach British Era Madras, 1880 Photo
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First Line Beach British Era Madras, 1880 Photo

First Line Beach British Era Madras, 1880 Photo

Madras Photos, Old India Photos

First Line Beach British Era Madras, 1880 Photo An 1880 photo of the First Line Beach street of British-era Madras ....read more

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Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph 1894

past-india.com

This site illustrates a past India through a collection of antique and vintage mediums of Raja Ravi Varma oleographs, old India photos, old postcards, old paper prints, and so on.

Although the collection may or may not be too varied, but generally projects a glimpse to what India looked like in the past. And how it has evolved since then. Few would realize that once there were Trams in Bombay, Madras, Delhi…

That, Madras operated the first electric Tram in India from 1895 up to its closure in 1953. With Calcutta and Bombay starting off with Horse-Drawn Trams, later electrifying them by the early 1900s.

That, in World War II, they camouflaged the Taj Mahal with bamboo scaffoldings. So as to project it as a construction site that perhaps would fool any air attacks from the Germans and Japanese might, although this never happened. All in all, the jewel in this collection is the rare Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” oleograph or chromolithograph of 1894. This was the first oleograph to come out from the then newly opened Raja Ravi Varma Fine Arts Lithograph Press(or FAL press) in 1894.

The many legacies of the British Raj are not missed out in this collection. Many of the buildings and streets have gone through several makeovers to the extent of being unrecognizable today or have completely disappeared from the scene. But the memories are kept alive hopefully to some extent by this collection.

As they say- “seeing is believing.” Hope you enjoy this collection. Please write to us at- info@past-india.com

Popular & Rare

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Past India

You can see the main categories on the top of the page, and except for the “Raja Ravi Varma Oleograph & Other Art” category all the other main categories have drop-down to sub-categories. You can then select the subject of your interest or you can check through the search box and if available it will display the results. The photos, prints & picture postcards depict a varied subjects of a Past India we may have forgotten- from people on the streets to people at grand events like Delhi durbar, from Taj Mahal to Gateway of India, from residential areas to commercial areas, from home exterior to interior of homes and so on. This site also includes a photo of "Charlie Chaplin" with his autograph signed on the back. There are also old maps, books, Raja Ravi Varma’s oelographs etc. “A picture is worth a thousand words” is an old adage, I’m sure this blog should interest you likewise. All the items displayed are from my personal collection unless otherwise specified.

Contact us:

info@past-india.com
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