Delhi Durbar of 1911, 3 Old Postcards
There are three old postcards of the Delhi Durbar or Coronation Durbar of 1911. Two of them show King George V and Queen Mary seated under a pavilion. The other postcard shows the military display and the massive turnout of the audience. There were in total three Coronation Durbars which included 1877, 1903 & 1911.
More of them were proposed but never happened because of unforeseen reasons. Perhaps good for India, since too many Indian funds were diverted into these grand ceremonies of pomp and extravagance. If we recollect Indian history there were around 25 major famines during the British rule in India.
Famines were unheard of before the 200 years of India’s colonial era. The Coronation Durbars were a grand ceremony to mark the succession of a British King. The durbar of 1911 was the only one that a British sovereign attended, which is shown in this postcard. Click on the photo for better view.
See earlier post- King George V At The 1911 Delhi Durbar – Old Photo 1920. Read also- New Delhi’s Controversial Birth.
Did you know- the Durbar of 1877 was a controversial one because it was held in the midst of India’s great famine of 1876-78. Insensitively diverting the funds allocated for the famine towards the Durbar.
From the collection- M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal On Paper Beautiful Lady (#6)., Maharaja of Patiala And His Chrysler Car – Old Photo 1929., Antique Hand Colored Map Plan Of Kannur., Bombay Through A Camera – Picture Book 1910
