Bull Temple, Bangalore
This 16th century temple to Nandi, the sacred bull, was built by Kempe Gowda who also founded the city of Bangalore.
Divided back
Birth of Shakuntala
Vishvamitra was a revered sage in ancient India; this postcard from one of Ravi Varma's most famous paintings shows how he rejects knowledge of his child by turning away and hiding his gaze with a dramatic gesture.
[Original caption] Menaka sent by
Madras Merchant, Colombo
An unusual postcard in the use of so much black, which beautifully brings out the portrait of this man, his beard and clothing (black was expensive for printers due to the amount of ink consumed). Due to better economic prospects in Sri Lanka, during
Cenotaph of Maharana Jai Singhji
Burial monument of the 17th century Rajput rule, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (1688-1743) who built the state of Rajputana into a formidable independent kingdom, founded the planned city of Jaipur and founded major astronomical observatories both there
Site of Action of 24-4-08 against Mohmands
There are a limited set of Raj postcards showing battlefields, even after the fact.
Greetings from Jubbulpore
An understated, nicely designed "Greetings from" postcard from the cantonment in Jubbulpur in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The insignia suggests it was published for or celebrated the Royal Field Artillery (RFA) then based here.
Khojak Tunnel
This postcard shows some of the team that constructed the Khojak Tunnel in Balochistan, one of the great feats of 19th century engineering in the subcontinent. Almost 2.5 miles in length, numerous European engineers helped in its construction.
A Tamil Girl, Ceylon
One of my favourite postcards by the great Colombo publisher Plate & Co., simply because the girl's stare or startled expression is so memorable. Although I used the color version in the book, this seems just as gripping. What is she looking at?
The tooth relic of Lord Buddha
The Sacred Relic of the tooth of Buddha is venerated in Sri Lanka [Ceylon] as relic of Gautama Buddha, and is kept in a Temple of the Holy Tooth in Kandy.
Lahore. Shalimar Garden.
[Original caption] Shalimar Garden, Lahore. These gardens were laid out in 1637 by order of Shah Jehan. They are divided into three parts on different levels. The whole extent is about three parts on different levels.
