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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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British Troops In Nizam's Hyderabad, Old Photo 1900
British Troops In Nizam’s Hyderabad, Old Photo 1900
Gallery

British Troops In Nizam’s Hyderabad, Old Photo 1900

British Troops In Nizam’s Hyderabad, Old Photo 1900

Old India Photos, Other India Photos

British Troops In Nizam's Hyderabad, Old Photo 1900 A 1900 photo shows a lineup of British troops at a photo [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-10T05:20:12+05:30
Royal Train For Prince of Wales India Tour, 1905 Print
Royal Train For Prince of Wales India Tour, 1905 Print
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Royal Train For Prince of Wales India Tour, 1905 Print

Royal Train For Prince of Wales India Tour, 1905 Print

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Royal Train For Prince of Wales India Tour, 1905 Print. Pages from the Engineering give details of the Royal Train [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-03-27T08:39:05+05:30
Early Indian Aviation, Monoplane In Calcutta - 2 Photos 1913
Early Indian Aviation, Monoplane In Calcutta – 2 Photos 1913
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Early Indian Aviation, Monoplane In Calcutta – 2 Photos 1913

Early Indian Aviation, Monoplane In Calcutta – 2 Photos 1913

Calcutta Photos, Old India Photos

Early Indian Aviation Monoplane In Calcutta - 2 Photos 1913 Two rare photos from 1913 show early Indian aviation with [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-13T06:23:36+05:30
First Line Beach Area From The Pier Madras, 2 Postcards 1900
First Line Beach Area From The Pier Madras, 2 Postcards 1900
Gallery

First Line Beach Area From The Pier Madras, 2 Postcards 1900

First Line Beach Area From The Pier Madras, 2 Postcards 1900

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

First Line Beach Area From The Pier Madras, 2 Postcards 1900. Two 1900 postcards with a view of the First [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-06-29T08:25:13+05:30
Five Interesting Views Of British Era Bombay, 5 Postcards 1900s
Five Interesting Views Of British Era Bombay, 5 Postcards 1900s
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Five Interesting Views Of British Era Bombay, 5 Postcards 1900s

Five Interesting Views Of British Era Bombay, 5 Postcards 1900s

Bombay Postcards, Old India Postcards

Five Interesting Of British Era Bombay, 4 Postcards 1900s Four interesting views from four 1900s postcards of British Era Bombay [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-06-20T17:14:03+05:30
1985 Book - The Letters of Edwin Lutyens
1985 Book – The Letters of Edwin Lutyens
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1985 Book – The Letters of Edwin Lutyens

1985 Book – The Letters of Edwin Lutyens

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1985 Book - The Letters of Edwin Lutyens Title - The letters of Edwin Lutyens To His wife Lady Emily [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-11T00:48:05+05:30
Making of Bombay's Famous Marine Drive, 1923 Photo
Making of Bombay’s Famous Marine Drive, 1923 Photo
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Making of Bombay’s Famous Marine Drive, 1923 Photo

Making of Bombay’s Famous Marine Drive, 1923 Photo

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Making of Bombay's Famous Marine Drive, 1923 Photo Rare 1923 photo of the making of Bombay's (Mumbai) famous Marine Drive. [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-07-03T00:35:10+05:30
Rare View of Delhi Electric Tram, Old Photo 1950
Rare View of Delhi Electric Tram, Old Photo 1950
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Rare View of Delhi Electric Tram, Old Photo 1950

Rare View of Delhi Electric Tram, Old Photo 1950

Delhi Photos, Old India Photos

Rare View of Delhi Electric Tram, Old Photo 1950 An old 1950 photo that gives a rare view of the [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-11-10T11:47:37+05:30
Calcutta To London Flight By Flying Boat, 1946 Print
Calcutta To London Flight By Flying Boat, 1946 Print
Gallery

Calcutta To London Flight By Flying Boat, 1946 Print

Calcutta To London Flight By Flying Boat, 1946 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Calcutta To London Flight By Flying Boat, 1946 Print Clipping from a 1946 magazine of a flying boat that completed [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-19T21:29:20+05:30
Overland Route To India Before Opening Of The Suez Canal, 1851 Map.
Overland Route To India Before Opening of Suez Canal, 1851 Map
Gallery

Overland Route To India Before Opening of Suez Canal, 1851 Map

Overland Route To India Before Opening of Suez Canal, 1851 Map

Maps & Plans, More

Overland Route To India Before Opening Of The Suez Canal, 1851 Map. A rare 1851 map showing the overland route [...]

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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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