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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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Old & New Lighthouses At Madras High Court, 1900 Postcard
Old & New Lighthouses At Madras High Court, 1900 Postcard
Gallery

Old & New Lighthouses At Madras High Court, 1900 Postcard

Old & New Lighthouses At Madras High Court, 1900 Postcard

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

Old & New Lighthouses At Madras High Court, 1900 Postcard Two 1900 postcards of the Madras High Court showing the [...]

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marine drive
Undeveloped Marine Drive & Colaba View From Malabar Hill, 1855
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Undeveloped Marine Drive & Colaba View From Malabar Hill, 1855

Undeveloped Marine Drive & Colaba View From Malabar Hill, 1855

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Undeveloped Marine Drive & Colaba View From Malabar Hill, 1855  An old 1855 print with a view of the undeveloped [...]

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bombay
Rampart Row & Forbes Street British Era Bombay, 1880 Photo
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Rampart Row & Forbes Street British Era Bombay, 1880 Photo

Rampart Row & Forbes Street British Era Bombay, 1880 Photo

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Rampart Row & Forbes Street British Era Bombay, 1880 Photo   An old 1880 photo of Rampart Row and Forbes [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-23T03:25:24+05:30
row of public buildings bombay
Bombay Court, Clock Tower & Secretariat Facing Back Bay, 1880
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Bombay Court, Clock Tower & Secretariat Facing Back Bay, 1880

Bombay Court, Clock Tower & Secretariat Facing Back Bay, 1880

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Bombay High Court, Rajabai Clock Tower & Secretariat Facing Back Bay, 1880 Photo     Old 1880 photo of Bombay [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-23T03:27:45+05:30
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Kardyl Building & Floods At Mount Road Madras, 1900 Photo
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Kardyl Building & Floods At Mount Road Madras, 1900 Photo

Kardyl Building & Floods At Mount Road Madras, 1900 Photo

Madras Photos, Old India Photos

Kardyl Building & Floods At Mount Road Madras, 1900 Photo     An old 1900 photo of the Kardyl Building [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-11-13T04:58:56+05:30
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Views of Kennedy Sea Face / Marine Drive Bombay – 2 PCs 1900
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Views of Kennedy Sea Face / Marine Drive Bombay – 2 PCs 1900

Views of Kennedy Sea Face / Marine Drive Bombay – 2 PCs 1900

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Two Views of Kennedy Sea Face / Marine Drive Bombay - 2 PCs 1900 Two views of the Kennedy Sea [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-06-07T23:25:49+05:30
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Multi Views Of British Era Bombay City – 4 Postcards 1900
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Multi Views Of British Era Bombay City – 4 Postcards 1900

Multi Views Of British Era Bombay City – 4 Postcards 1900

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Multi Views Of British Era Bombay City - 4 Postcards 1900 Old postcards from around 1900 showing multiple views of [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-11-13T05:25:49+05:30
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Colaba Railway Station During British Era Bombay, 1900 Postcard
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Colaba Railway Station During British Era Bombay, 1900 Postcard

Colaba Railway Station During British Era Bombay, 1900 Postcard

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-18T06:19:26+05:30
Looking Towards Sea From Fort St George Madras, 1880 Photo
Looking Towards Sea From Fort St George Madras, 1880 Photo
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Looking Towards Sea From Fort St George Madras, 1880 Photo

Looking Towards Sea From Fort St George Madras, 1880 Photo

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nb-develop-admin2023-11-13T05:46:37+05:30
taj mahal
European Lady At Taj, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort – 8 Photos 1912
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European Lady At Taj, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort – 8 Photos 1912

European Lady At Taj, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort – 8 Photos 1912

Old India Photos, Other India Photos

European Lady At Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort - 8 Photos 1912   The Taj Mahal   [...]

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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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