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Homedevmaster2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
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Old Courthouse Street Kolkata, 1880 Photo
Old Courthouse Street Kolkata, 1880 Photo
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Old Courthouse Street Kolkata, 1880 Photo

Old Courthouse Street Kolkata, 1880 Photo

Calcutta Photos, Old India Photos

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WWII Map of American & British Troop Location 1946
WWII Map of American & British Troop Location 1946
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WWII Map of American & British Troop Location 1946

WWII Map of American & British Troop Location 1946

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WWII Map of American & British Troop Location 1946 An unusual map showing clusters of American and British troop locations ....read more

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Old Book – Cochin Saga By Robert Bristow
Old Book – Cochin Saga By Robert Bristow
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Old Book – Cochin Saga By Robert Bristow

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Old Book 1979- The Great Cities/Bombay
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Old Book 1979- The Great Cities/Bombay

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River Cooum & River Adyar Madras - 2 Postcards 1910
River Cooum & River Adyar Madras – 2 Postcards 1910
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River Cooum & River Adyar Madras – 2 Postcards 1910

River Cooum & River Adyar Madras – 2 Postcards 1910

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On India's Pepper Trail By Vasco Da Gama, 1920 Card
On India’s Pepper Trail By Vasco Da Gama, 1920 Card
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On India’s Pepper Trail By Vasco Da Gama, 1920 Card

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Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920
Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920
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Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920

Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920

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Madras Central Railway Station & Buckingham Canal, 2 PCs 1900
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Madras Central Railway Station & Buckingham Canal, 2 PCs 1900

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British Era Life In Bangalore – Old Photo 1875

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Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah - Old Photo 1890
Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah – Old Photo 1890
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Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah – Old Photo 1890

Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah – Old Photo 1890

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

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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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