Spotlight
Quiz: How well do you know the ancient caves of India?
In ancient India, cave complexes sheltered travellers and traders too besides priests and monks. Take our quiz to learn about these rock-cut rest-stops
Search Results for: Cultures of India
Reads
India, G20 & the repatriation of cultural artefacts
Conversations on the repatriation of museum objects continue to evolve and encounter new complexities
Reads
Mughal Sarais, where caravans & cultures mingled
Along the ancient Silk Road and the historic Grand Trunk Road lay a series of rest-stops and inns called sarais where caravans of travellers, pilgrims and traders could break their journey
Spotlight
Tunnel Vision – An environmental history of Indian Railways
From its start in the 19th Century, Indian Railways played a pivotal role in the trade, economy and culture of the Subcontinent. But how did the arrival of trains impact our country’s ecology?
Spotlight
Gateways to India
The sea is witness to much that defines India and our port cities are the sentinels of change. Let’s travel to some old and new ports through the Sarmaya collection of maps and engravings and imagine them at the peak of their power
Guides
Worshipping water – Faith & conservation in Indian culture
Let’s travel to some picturesque and iconic Indian destinations where water is worshipped as saviour, sustainer, and bringer of salvation
Spotlight
Pondicherry Dreaming – Inside French India
How native Tamil and colonial French influences come together in the charming melting pot of Puducherry
Spotlight
Discovery of India – The Birth of the Bengal Presidency, Calcutta & the British Raj
A brief history of the extraordinary role of Bengal in shaping the destiny of modern India
Spotlight
The Sari Story – How A Simple Garment Travelled Around India & Across the Ages
The sari is draped in more than 100 ways across the country, evolving with time and influenced heavily by geography, culture and even popular entertainment
Spotlight
‘Costume of Hindostan’ – A Rare Glimpse of the Common Indian from 18th-Century Bengal
An exquisite object from our rare books collection that shows how the British once sought to understand a whole subcontinent by paying attention to what its citizens wore
Spotlight
Maximum Art: The Incredible Journey of Indian Miniatures
Exploring the magnificent, mammoth traditions of Indian ‘miniatures’
Spotlight
10 of the Most Epic Travellers to India
A few memorable guests in the land of ‘athithi devo bhava’ and the tales they took back home
Spotlight
A Mata-Ni-Pachedi Guide to Riding Like A Goddess
A Mata-Ni-Pachedi canvas can feature a dazzling array of goddesses. One sure-fire way to tell them apart? Through their animal friends
Spotlight
Gopa Trivedi’s Gulistan
Drawing from Persian poetry, Mughal gardens, and colonial botanical studies, Gopa Trivedi’s painting series ‘Gulistan’ explores urgently contemporary themes like othering and pluralism
Quizzes
Ganesha: The God & The Legend
Test yourself on the mythology, art, culture and food inspired by Lord Ganesha
Spotlight
“These women were the Madhuri and Sridevi of their times”
Accomplished Odissi dancer Madhur Gupta narrates the history of India’s courtesans, once the most glamourous celebrities of the land
Reads
A Proud Past: The Siddis of Gujarat
Let’s meet the modern-day Siddis, defined by centuries of history in Gujarat, Sufi spiritualism, and ancestral memories of Africa
Spotlight
Surat nu jamaan – Gujarat’s food capital
If you’ve eaten in Surat, you’ve tasted salvation. And it’s all thanks to centuries of migration, trade and a happy collision of world cultures
Spotlight
Gujarat, land of surprises
Like the beloved Gujarati breakfast of jalebi-fafda, the contrasting flavours of this region give its cultures an irresistible piquancy. Here are some surprising facts to pique your curiosity about Gujarat
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Holy waters
Exploring the cultural and spiritual significance of water in India and around the world