Tennis In Action In Coonoor Nilgiri Hills, 1894 Photo

Tennis In Action In Coonoor Nilgiri Hills, 1894 Photo

An old 1894 photo of a tennis game in progress in Coonoor, near Ooty, in the Nilgiri Hills. Tennis was just around 20 years old since it arrived in India around the 1870s from England. The sport soon started gaining popularity in the British colonial establishments throughout the country.

Civilian clubs and army messes were to popularize it still further, see this photograph of one such club. So much so that many tournaments started being held increasingly. Likewise, the Britishers imported many other sports into colonial India such as- cricket, football, horseracing, and so on. This is a rare photograph and shows the game being played in two courts with a brief pause while the photoshoot was in progress.

Englishmen and ladies with Indian attendants are also visible in the photo. Because of the cool English-like climate, Coonoor and Ooty were their favourite hill stations in the south.

See post Old Photograph – Game Of Tennis British India 1885

Did you know- it is recorded that Gautama Buddha was a skilled sportsman who specialized in horsemanship, wrestling, and archery before his marriage.

From the collection- Raja Ravi Varma’s “Birth of Shakuntala” Oleograph 1894.,   Vintage Book 1939 – The Handbook of India.,  Antique Print First Passenger Train From Bombay to Thane 1853.,  Vintage Postcard Wellington Barracks Nilgiris 1905

Photo Details

Year -

1894

Photograph Size -

11 x 8.5 inches

Photographer -

unknown British photographer