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India Raj Elephant Battling Lion Watercol. Sketch, 1837
Elephant Battles Lion Watercolour Sketch British India, 1837
Gallery

Elephant Battles Lion Watercolour Sketch British India, 1837

Elephant Battles Lion Watercolour Sketch British India, 1837

Art & Raja Ravi Varma Collection

Elephant Battles Lion Watercolour Sketch British India, 1837 This is an 1837 British India-era beautiful watercolour sketch of an elephant ....read more

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Construction of Willingdon Island Kochi, 1929 Map
Construction of Willingdon Island Kochi, 1929 Map
Gallery

Construction of Willingdon Island Kochi, 1929 Map

Construction of Willingdon Island Kochi, 1929 Map

Maps & Plans, More

Construction of Willingdon Island Kochi, 1929 Map Old 1929 map showing the areas of construction in progress at Willingdon Island in ....read more

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Lord Curzon The Flamboyant Viceroy Of India, 1903 Print
Lord Curzon The Flamboyant Viceroy Of India, 1903 Print
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Lord Curzon The Flamboyant Viceroy Of India, 1903 Print

Lord Curzon The Flamboyant Viceroy Of India, 1903 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Lord Curzon The Flamboyant Viceroy Of India, 1903 Print A 1903 print of Lord Curzon the flamboyant Viceroy of British ....read more

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Hot-Air Balloon Accident In British Era Bombay, 1891 Print
Hot-Air Balloon Accident In British Era Bombay, 1891 Print
Gallery

Hot-Air Balloon Accident In British Era Bombay, 1891 Print

Hot-Air Balloon Accident In British Era Bombay, 1891 Print

Bombay Prints, Old India Prints

Hot-Air Balloon Accident In British Era Bombay, Old Print 1891. An 1891 print on a hot-air balloon accident in British-era ....read more

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Tiny Resident of British Era Bangalore, 1890 Photo 
Tiny Resident of British Era Bangalore, 1890 Photo 
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Tiny Resident of British Era Bangalore, 1890 Photo 

Tiny Resident of British Era Bangalore, 1890 Photo 

Bangalore Photos, Old India Photos

Tiny Resident of British Era Bangalore, 1890 Photo An old 1890 photo of a tiny European resident of the once ....read more

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camouflaged Taj mahal and american soldier
Hiding The Taj Mahal In World War II – 2 Rare Old Photos 1942
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Hiding The Taj Mahal In World War II – 2 Rare Old Photos 1942

Hiding The Taj Mahal In World War II – 2 Rare Old Photos 1942

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Charming Mount Road In Madras, 1975 Postcard
Charming Mount Road Madras, 1975 Postcard
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Charming Mount Road Madras, 1975 Postcard

Charming Mount Road Madras, 1975 Postcard

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

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Esplanade & Hornby Roads Bombay, 11 Old Postcards
Esplanade & Hornby Roads Bombay – 10 Old Postcards
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Esplanade & Hornby Roads Bombay – 10 Old Postcards

Esplanade & Hornby Roads Bombay – 10 Old Postcards

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European Woman British Era Bangalore, 1877 Photo
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European Woman British Era Bangalore, 1877 Photo

European Woman British Era Bangalore, 1877 Photo

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Bombay Bhendi Bazaar & Horse Tram, 1880 Photo
Bombay Bhendi Bazaar & Horse Tram, 1880 Photo
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Bombay Bhendi Bazaar & Horse Tram, 1880 Photo

Bombay Bhendi Bazaar & Horse Tram, 1880 Photo

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Bombay Bhendi Bazaar & Horse Tram, 1880 Photo This is an old 1880 glass slide photo of Bhendi Bazaar with ....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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