Dasasumedhaghat, Varanasi [Benares] - 1883

View of the Dashashvamedha Ghat from the Kitchener of Khartoum Collection: 'Views of Benares. Presented by the Maharaja of Benares' by Babu Jageswar Prasad in 1883. Dashashvamedha Ghat, on the River Ganges at Varanasi, is one of the busiest of the cities many ghats, where residents and pilgrims perform their ablutions, Brahmin priests sit on wooden platforms under bamboo umbrellas to offer prayers for their clients, masseurs ply their trade and boatmen jostle for custom. The name of the Ghat is derived from the legend that this was the site where Lord Brahma performed the "Das ashvamedha" (10 horse) sacrifice for King Divodasa. This ghat is regarded as one of the world’s most celebrated tirthas, or ‘crossing places’ where the devotee can gain access to the divine and gods and goddesses can come down to earth.

Palace of the Maharajah Chat Singh, Ramnagar, Benares (Varanasi) - 1880

Photograph of the Palace of Maharaja Chat Singh in Benares from the 'Earl of Jersey Collection' was taken by an unknown photographer in the 1880s. Ramnagar is situated on the right bank of the Ganges River and was made the capital of the former princely state of Benares (Varanasi) by Raja Balwant Singh in 1750. A series of courtyards lead to the white towers of the main palace within the fort, with the private appartments on one side of the tower and the Durbar Hall and reception rooms on the other. The palace is visible in the right background.

Low Tide, Custom House Ghat Calcutta 1865

Photograph of ghat at low tide from 'Views of Calcutta and Barrackpore' taken by Samuel Bourne in the 1860s. General view of sailing ships moored on the Hooghly River at low tide along Custom House ghat, on the southern end of Fort William.

View in Barrackpore Park - Government House Walk 1865

Photograph of a walk in Barrackpore Park was taken in the 1860s by Samuel Bourne. Barrackpore, north of Calcutta along the Hoogly river, was founded in 1775 as a cantonment. Government House, designed by Captain Thomas Anbury in 1813 was used as a residence for the British Governors-General.

Hindu temple on banks of the Ganges at Varanasi (Benaras)

Hindu temple on banks of the Ganges at Varanasi
Exact date unknown

Ancient Hindoo Temple, Chitor - 1870s

Photograph of a ruined temple at Chittaurgarh (Chitor), taken by an unknown photographer in the 1870s, part of the Bellew Collection of Architectural Views. The citadel of Chitor is sited on a high rocky plateau of the Aravalli range in southern Rajasthan. Its origins are unclear, but from about the 8th century AD it was a prominent stronghold of the Rajput region of Mewar, first controlled by the Guhilot clan and later the capital of the Sisodias, a branch of the Guhilots, from the 14th century. The Sisodias made Mewar the foremost princely state of all Rajput kingdoms, a bulwark of traditional Rajput values which gave strong resistance to any form of invasion. Chitor was attacked several times over the centuries, lastly by the Mughals. Its chiefs, called Ranas or Maharanas, were the last to capitulate to the Mughals. After Chitor fell to Akbar in 1568, the Rana Udai Singh shifted to a new capital of Udaipur.