Group of Lamas
[Original caption] Group of Lamas. The Lamas are priests of the Buddhist religion.
[Original caption] Group of Lamas. The Lamas are priests of the Buddhist religion.
One of the most common postcards from the Darjeeling area. The double loop offers a magnificent view of Darjeeling and Mount Everest. The toy train of Darjeeling is a major draw for tourists and connects Darjeeling to Siliguri in North Bengal.
A very early postcard of Mt. Everest, probably printed in 1901 or earlier, by Darjeeling's premiere studio, run by the Austrian Thomas Paar.
A very early postcard of Mt. Everest, possibly the earliest.
Sent to Jerome Steinback, 341–11th St., Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. and postmarked Feb. 14, 1902 in Darjeeling. [Recto] "2/13/02 Our greetings to you from the most beautiful spot in India –
Although a coolie – "a hired labourer, or burden-carrier"(Hobson-Jobson, p. 249) – were at the bottom of the social ladder, and the word is said to originally come from Kolis, a hill-people in the Western Ghats, "whose savagery, filth and general
Darjeeling owes its name to a blend of the Tibetan words namely "Dorje" (thunderbolt) and "ling" (place), that translates to "The land of the thunderbolt."
[Original caption] Dandy and Bearers, Darjeeling.
One can only marvel at the early "Greetings from" postcard, the way five photographs are woven into one image with the help of plant motifs, in this case tree branches but often palm trees for Indian images.
Thomas Paar was one of the earliest publishers of Darjeeling postcards, and a longtime photographer with a grand studio in the middle of the hillstation.
"The professional photographers of Darjeeling generated innumerable prints depicting those whose toil supported the lifestyles of the colonialists in their homes and businesses, and who created products they loved to consumer," writes Claire Harris
Darjeeling, located in the lower range of the Himalaya, is often called the "Queen of the Hills." Its Sunday market, when villagers and merchants from the neighbouring villages and towns come to offer their wares, was a very popular postcard subject