India has seen the names of cities, rivers and even roads changed to reflect political realities, contemporary national narratives and the drawing of new borders. Take our quiz to see how well you know some of these forgotten monikers from the past
Take our quiz to test your knowledge and maybe discover a new favourite photo factoid!
The Deccan’s diversity of art, culture and language is the result of centuries of shifting politics. Let’s get to know the prominent early and late-mediaeval kingdoms of this vast region through Sarmaya’s rare photographs, coins, books, engravings and maps
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?
Among the Dalits and Bahujans of South India, the seven sister-goddesses are revered as protectors of the land and preservers of its people. Meet the gramadevatalu of Telangana
This detailed map of Nagapattinam (previously spelt, Negapatam) was created by the Office of the Trigonometric Branch, Survey of India, Dehra Dun. The map gives a complete overview of the city, highlighting its water tanks, churches, and temples. Owing to the enormous endeavours of the Survey of India, precision in documenting became more important as mapping… Read more »
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
Let’s travel to some picturesque and iconic Indian destinations where water is worshipped as saviour, sustainer, and bringer of salvation
Varunika Saraf’s paintings draw you in with their vibrant splashes of colour, only to unnerve you with the details veiled underneath. She speaks to Sarmaya about her process, politics and perennial love for the miniature art tradition
Sarmaya is the museum without boundaries. Our archive of art, artefacts and living traditions represents the diverse histories of the Indian subcontinent. We offer a critical and compassionate framework for young Indians to discover their cultural inheritance. With our collection as the starting point, we create online and on-ground programming that sparks curiosity, invites dialogue… Read more »
Postcards began at the end of the 19th century as a new kind of crossover between photography and the popular print market. In a collaboration with Picture Postcard Empire, we bring you a virtual exhibition of intriguing postcards from the city of Madras
“Cloud over the landscape” is a deep engagement with the subjectivity of maps and their inherent function as history-making devices.Using interventions like painting, erasing and burning the photographic image before it is transferred onto wood, artist Saju Kunhan creates room for accidents, mistranslations and loss of information. In elaborating on his method in the catalogue… Read more »
From medieval coins to colonial-era photography, we bring a diverse array of objects from our collection that reinforce the arguments made by Saubiya Chasmawala’s art
Is there a way to return to the site of an old injustice and reclaim our power? Saubiya Chasmawala’s haunting, hypnotic art attempts a revision of exactly this sort
Walking the path of the historian, archivist and craftsman, Saju Kunhan creates room for cultures, centuries and civilisations to constantly collide and create new meanings
Something beautiful and bizarre starts to happens when you place disparate works of art and history next to each other. Like a creeper putting out tendrils to investigate higher ground, these objects begin to reach out and whisper to each other. Connections crackles across mediums, styles and eras. Universal themes shine through like iridescent threads.… Read more »
We hope this Spotlight will leave you feeling intrigued and wanting to know more about the glorious, ambitious, farsighted, but ultimately, fallible personalities who once ruled India
The Sultans of Gujarat built a lasting cultural legacy that lives on through the incredible mosques, tombs, palaces and shrines they left behind in Ahmedabad, Cambay, Patan and Champaner. Let’s go on a tour of the Sultanate through rare photographs from the Sarmaya collection
Sometimes rulers are remembered in song, sometimes in the clinking of coins. Let’s explore the empires of the Cheras and Kushans, whose greatness is echoed in the trade routes they forged
We dive into a study of family portraiture with a set of three albums belonging to John Sinclair, the First Lord Pentland, and the Governor of Madras between 1912 and 1919—and draw out the themes that emerge from this treasure trove of 20th-century photography