The Kashmiri (Cashmere) Gate, Delhi - 1895

Photograph of the Kashmir Gate at Delhi, taken by Lala Deen Dayal in the 1890s, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of places proposed to be visited by Their Excellencies Lord & Lady Curzon during Autumn Tour 1902'. Lord Curzon served as Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905. The Kashmir Gate is one of the northern gates in the city walls of what is now known as Old Delhi, originally the city of Shahjahanabad built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor Shan Jahan (r.1628-58). The Kashmir Gate was built in 1835 by Major Robert Smith and was made into a double gateway in 1857 at the time of the Indian Uprising. This gate was blown up when the British retook Delhi during the Indian Uprising of 1857.

Source: British Library

Hyderabad 1880s

HH the Nizam's Chowmahela Palace, Hyderabad; a photo by Lala Deen Dayal, 1880's

The entrance bridge to City, Hyderabad; a photo by Lala Deen Dayal, 1880's

Distant view of City, Hyderabad; a photo by Lala Deen Dayal, 1880's

Delhi Gate of Red Fort - Delhi 1895, Photographed by Lala Deen Dayal

Photograph of the Delhi Gate at the Red Fort in Delhi from the Curzon Collection, taken by Lala Deen Dayal in the 1890s, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of places proposed to be visited by Their Excellencies Lord & Lady Curzon during Autumn Tour 1902'. The Delhi gate is one of two main entrances to the Lal Qila or Red Fort, the palace citadel built in the 1640s by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (r.1627-1658) as the headquarters of his new capital, Shahjahanabad. The palace apartments are contained within a fortification wall built of red sandstone, surrounded on three sides by a moat and on the fourth by the river Yamuna. This is a general view of the gate from outside the fort, showing the bastions, battlements, chhatris and turrets which crown the walls.

Source: British Library

Luchmiah Rungiah and companion, circa 1890

Photographer: Raja Lala Deen Dayal
source: http://www.payer.de

Workers of the Nizam of Hyderabad - 1890s

Photographer: Raja Deen Dayal

Source: http://www.payer.de/

Young Prince and his Courtiers - 1880

Photographer: Raja Deen Dayal

Source: http://www.payer.de

Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace) in Jaipur, Rajasthan c1895

Photographer:  Raja Deen Dayal & Sons
 
Photograph of the east façade of the Hawa Mahal (Wind Palace) at Jaipur in Rajasthan, taken by Raja Deen Dayal & Sons in the 1890s, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of places proposed to be visited by Their Excellencies Lord & Lady Curzon during Autumn Tour 1902'. It was designed by Lalchand Usta and built by Sawai Pratap Singh (r.1778-1803) in 1799 as an addition to the existing City Palace. Like all the buildings in the old walled quarter of the city it is painted a rusty pink. The building consists of two courtyards with residential ranges, fronted by a five-storey façade with a curved roof-line shown in this view. The façade is composed of a multitude of window bays arranged in tiers, each crowned by an arch or dome. The lattice-work designs of the windows created a purdah screen behind which ladies of the court in the zenana or women’s quarters could observe the outside world in privacy and enjoy the breeze.

From: British Library

Photograph of a Rich Upper Class Elderly Indian Lady

Photographer:  Raja Deen Dayal
Source: www.payer.de

The staff of the Delhi Central Post Office, by Raja Deen Dayal, 1903

The staff of the Delhi Central Post Office, in a photo by Raja Deen Dayal, 1903 (to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII)

Source: columbia.edu

Ahalya Bai's Temple Ellora - 1885

Photograph of the Ahalya Bai's Temple at Ellora in Maharashtra, taken by Deen Dayal in the 1880s. This image is from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of HH the Nizam's Dominions, Hyderabad, Deccan, 1892'.

Source: British Library Website

Tomb of Shumsuddin at the Kutab Delhi - 1895

Photograph of carvings on the interior of Iltutmish’s Tomb in Delhi, taken by Lala Deen Dayal in the 1890s, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of places proposed to be visited by Their Excellencies Lord & Lady Curzon during Autumn Tour 1902'. Iltutmish's tomb is situated at the north-west corner of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutb complex to the south of New Delhi. The Qutb is all that remains of the first Islamic city of Delhi established by Qutb-ud-Din Aybak (r.1206-1210), the founder of the Slave Dynasty and first Sultan of Delhi. Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish (r.1211-1236) was the third Sultan of Delhi. His tomb, built in 1235 before his death, is the first surviving tomb of an Islamic ruler in India. It was designed as a square building of red sandstone with openings on three sides and a dome, now fallen. This is a view of the interior walls of the tomb, which are covered with rich decorative carving, a mixture of Koranic inscriptions with rosettes, arabesques, and tracery.

Photography of Raja Deen Dayal

Photograph of Baz Bahadur’s Palace at Mandu in Madhya Pradesh, taken by Raja Deen Dayal & Sons in the 1880s, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of places proposed to be visited by Their Excellencies Lord & Lady Curzon during Autumn Tour 1902'. Lord Curzon served as Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905. This is a view of the ruined palace and shows the façade rising out of the undergrowth with trees in the foreground. Mandu became a hillfort as early as the 6th century but it was not until the 10th century that it gained prominance under the Paramara dynasty. Most of the surviving architecture was built between 1401 and 1531 when the city was the thriving capital of the Sultans of Malwa. They renamed the fort ‘Shadiabad’ (City of Joy) and built palaces, mosques and tombs beside gardens and lakes within its walls. After the fall of the Malwa Sultanate, Daulat Khan ruled Mandu as Sultan Baz Bahadur from 1555 until 1561 when he was deposed by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605). The Palace of Baz Bahadur stands on a hill above the sacred tank Rewa Kund, contained in the royal enclosure in southern Mandu. It was built in c.1509, before Baz Bahadur came to power, but was occupied by him.

Photograph of Dig Fort in Rajasthan, taken by Raja Deen Dayal & Sons in the 1890s, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of places proposed to be visited by Their Excellencies Lord & Lady Curzon during Autumn Tour 1902'. Lord Curzon served as Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905. Dig was the first capital of the Sinsini Jats established by Badan Singh (r.1722-33). Later the captial was moved to Bharatpur. The fort was built by his son Suraj Mal (r.1533-63) in 1730. This view shows the Lakha Burj at the north-west corner, the largest of twelve massive bastions reinforcing the fort walls, and the moat which encircles the fort.

Photograph of the city and lake at Udaipur in Rajasthan, taken by Raja Deen Dayal & Sons in the 1880s, from the Curzon Collection: 'Views of places proposed to be visited by Their Excellencies Lord & Lady Curzon during Autumn Tour 1902'. Lord Curzon served as Viceroy of India between 1899 and 1905. Udaipur was chosen by Maharana Udai Singh (r.1567-72) of the Sisodia Rajputs as the new capital of the Mewar State in the mid-16th century. This followed the sacking and possession of the previous capital, the hilltop fortress of Chittorgarh, by the Mughal Emperor Akbar (r.1556-1605) in 1567. Udaipur lies in a valley beside three artificial lakes, the largest of which is Lake Pichola. This is a general view looking across Lake Pichola towards the city with the hills in the distance. The white domes and towers of the massive City Palace (c.1567-c.1734) rise above the rooftops. Beyond the bridge are the island palaces of the Jagmandir and Jagniwas, in the main part of the lake.

From British Library Collection