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Homenb-develop-admin2026-07-18T17:43:18+05:30
nb-develop-admin2024-02-19T12:52:34+05:30
River Cooum & River Adyar Madras - 2 Postcards 1910
River Cooum & River Adyar Madras – 2 Postcards 1910
Gallery

River Cooum & River Adyar Madras – 2 Postcards 1910

River Cooum & River Adyar Madras – 2 Postcards 1910

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

Cooum & Adyar Rivers Chennai - 2 Old Postcards Two 1910 postcards of the River Cooum and River Adyar in [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-19T13:31:41+05:30
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

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

Cochin & Kerala Postcards, Old India Postcards

On India's Pepper Trail By Vasco Da Gama, 1920 Card A 1920 card of Vasco Da Gama during his pepper [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-02-20T04:00:14+05:30
Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920
Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920
Gallery

Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920

Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920

Madras Postcards, Old India Postcards

Madras Central Railway Station, British Era Greeting Card 1920 An old 1920 British-era greeting card showing the Madras Central Railway [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-07-13T18:31:33+05:30
Madras Central Railway Station & Buckingham Canal, 2 PCs 1900
Madras Central Railway Station & Buckingham Canal, 2 PCs 1900
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Madras Central Railway Station & Buckingham Canal, 2 PCs 1900

Madras Central Railway Station & Buckingham Canal, 2 PCs 1900

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Madras Central Railway Station & Buckingham Canal, 2 PCs 1900 Two rare 1900 postcards of the Madras Central Railway Station [...]

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nb-develop-admin2021-11-15T15:01:44+05:30
British Era Life In Bangalore - Old Photo 1875
British Era Life In Bangalore – Old Photo 1875
Gallery

British Era Life In Bangalore – Old Photo 1875

British Era Life In Bangalore – Old Photo 1875

Bangalore Photos, Old India Photos

British Era Life In Bangalore - Old Photo 1875 This is an old 1875 photo of British-era life at Bangalore, [...]

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nb-develop-admin2022-10-06T11:26:30+05:30
Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah - Old Photo 1890
Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah – Old Photo 1890
Gallery

Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah – Old Photo 1890

Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah – Old Photo 1890

Bombay Photos, Old India Photos

Malabar Hill Bungalow With Punkah - Old Photo 1890 This is an old 1890 photo of an interior of a [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-04-08T09:59:21+05:30
Celebrating King George V's Coronation In Simla, 1911 Print
Celebrating King George V’s Coronation In Simla, 1911 Print
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Celebrating King George V’s Coronation In Simla, 1911 Print

Celebrating King George V’s Coronation In Simla, 1911 Print

Old India Prints, Other India Prints

Celebrating King George V's Coronation In Simla, 1911 Print A 1911 print that shows the coronation day celebration of King [...]

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nb-develop-admin2023-08-21T15:07:07+05:30
German Ship SMS Emden's Expedition Photos In WW1
1914 Daring German Warship Emden Visits Cochin Photos
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1914 Daring German Warship Emden Visits Cochin Photos

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Old India Photos, Other India Photos

1914 Daring German Warship Emden Visits Cochin Photos Photographs taken by the crew of the German warship SMS Emden's visit [...]

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nb-develop-admin2026-07-07T03:59:04+05:30
1890 photograph of a British military officer's bungalow in Bangalore Cantonment with his wife, Indian servants, landscaped gardens, and a horse-drawn carriage.
Officer’s Bungalow In Cantonment, British-Era Bangalore, 1890
Gallery

Officer’s Bungalow In Cantonment, British-Era Bangalore, 1890

Officer’s Bungalow In Cantonment, British-Era Bangalore, 1890

Bangalore Photos, Old India Photos

Officer's Bungalow In Cantonment, British-Era Bangalore, 1890 Phot0 An 1890 photograph captures a gracious officer's bungalow in Bangalore's British-era cantonment. [...]

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nb-develop-admin2024-01-29T06:46:19+05:30
Hawa Mahal Jaipur, 1880 Photo
Hawa Mahal Jaipur, 1880 Photo
Gallery

Hawa Mahal Jaipur, 1880 Photo

Hawa Mahal Jaipur, 1880 Photo

Old India Photos, Other India Photos

Hawa Mahal Jaipur, 1880 Photo Old 1880 photo of the Hawa Mahal or Palace of winds/breeze in Jeypore, now Jaipur. [...]

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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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