Glimpse of Residential Area British India Era
An old 1900 photo of a glimpse of a residential area in the British India era. Perhaps the residential area of colonial era Bangalore or Chennai. Not entirely sure which. But nevertheless, the photo shows a beautiful neighbourhood with lush-looking greenery and wide roads. Unlike what you see in today’s residential areas. Also noticeable are a liveried servant in the foreground and a horse with its handler at a distance. See the second image for a close-up.
Under the British, the Europeans were provided huge bungalows in exclusive neighourhoods. That was reserved for Europeans only. Like White Town in Madras (Chennai) and European Quarter in Bombay (Mumbai). The British definitely lived luxuriously in India with liveried servants, bungalows, and the works. That included cooks, household cleaning servants, gardeners, and even horsecart drivers, etc. It is no wonder that a long line of Britishers pushed for a posting to India.
After the initial strangeness of the people and place wore off they settled down to their new environment with ease. The colonial bungalows had commodious rooms with vast grounds for gardening or recreation. The Englishwoman or the memsahib never had it better notwithstanding the hot and humid climate. And the usual reptiles and insects that invade the home at regular intervals. There were also the punkawallas diligently hand-pulling the punkahs. Click on the photo for better view.
See my post of a punkah French India Colonial Bungalow With Punkah – Old Photo 1870.
Did you know- that in the early years the Englishmen lived inside the forts of Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras. It is by the early 19th century that they slowly built residential areas outside these forts.
From the collection- Vintage Oleograph Raja Ravi Varma “Laxmi”., Pune Near Mumbai – Old Print 1875., Fishermen’s Catamaran In Madras – Old Postcard 1905
