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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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British Flag Flying Over Viceroy's House Delhi,1931 Photo
British Flag Flying Over Viceroy’s House Delhi,1931 Photo
Gallery

British Flag Flying Over Viceroy’s House Delhi,1931 Photo

British Flag Flying Over Viceroy’s House Delhi,1931 Photo

Delhi Photos, Old India Photos

British Flag Flying Over Viceroy's House Delhi, 1931 Photo A rare sight of the British Flag flying over the Viceroy's [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-06-14T19:02:42+05:30
Newly Completed Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay, 1903 Photo
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The New Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Bombay, 1903 Photo

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Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

The New Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Bombay, 1903 Photo A rare 1903 photo of the newly completed Taj Mahal Palace [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-03-30T18:50:24+05:30
Madras Beach Station & General Post Office, 1928 PC
Madras Beach Station & General Post Office, 1928 PC
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Madras Beach Station & General Post Office, 1928 PC

Madras Beach Station & General Post Office, 1928 PC

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Madras Beach Station & General Post Office, 1928 PC Old 1928 photo postcard of the Beach Railway Station & General [...]

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View Over British Era Bombay City, Old Photo 1885
View Over British Era Bombay City, Old Photo 1885
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View Over British Era Bombay City, Old Photo 1885

View Over British Era Bombay City, Old Photo 1885

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View Over British Era Bombay City, Old Photo 1885 An old 1885 photo showing a view of British Era Bombay [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-03-02T18:59:36+05:30
Queen Victoria's Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print
Queen Victoria’s Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print
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Queen Victoria’s Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print

Queen Victoria’s Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print

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Queen Victoria's Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print Old 1877 print of the Delhi Durbar of 1877 to honor Queen Victoria. This [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-14T16:02:14+05:30
British Era South Parade Road / M G Road Bangalore, 1905 PC
British Era South Parade Road / M G Road Bangalore, 1905 PC
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British Era South Parade Road / M G Road Bangalore, 1905 PC

British Era South Parade Road / M G Road Bangalore, 1905 PC

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British Era South Parade Road / M G Road Bangalore, 1905 PC. A 1905 oilette postcard of South Parade now [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-03-28T08:44:02+05:30
Loop No 1 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, 1910 PC
Loop No 1 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, 1910 PC
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Loop No 1 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, 1910 PC

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Loop No 1 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, 1910 PC A rare 1910 photo postcard of Loop No 1 of the Darjeeling [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-03-02T23:20:39+05:30
Viceroy's Camp At The Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print
Viceroy’s Camp At The Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print
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Viceroy’s Camp At The Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print

Viceroy’s Camp At The Delhi Durbar, 1877 Print

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-13T00:57:52+05:30
Bombay Municipal Corporation Building, 1942 Photo
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Bombay Municipal Corporation Building, 1942 Photo

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-19T06:12:48+05:30
Darjeeling Railway Chunabatti Loop No 3 ,1890 Photo
Darjeeling Railway Chunabatti Loop No 3, 1890 Photo
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Darjeeling Railway Chunabatti Loop No 3, 1890 Photo

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Darjeeling Railway Chunabatti Loop No 3, 1890 Photo An 1890 photo of Chunabatti Loop No 3 at the Darjeeling Himalayan [...]

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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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