Tower of Silence, also known as the dakhma or funerary tower, is where deceased Zoroastrians are exposed to the sky to be devoured by scavenger birds—it’s known as a ‘sky burial’. According to the community’s belief, a dead body is impure not only because of its deterioration and infection but also because evil spirits conquer… Read more »
The Watson’s Hotel, earlier the Esplanade Hotel, is the oldest surviving cast-iron structure in India. It was named after its first owner, John Watson, an English businessman in Bombay. The original cast iron objects were designed by the engineer Rowland Mason Ordish, who constructed the various parts in Britain and shipped to India. The construction… Read more »
Read about the birth of commercial photography in 19th-century Bombay here.
This city is older than most of us would imagine and evidence of its ancient heritage is scattered through its bustling suburbs
Scenes from a royal visit, complete with elaborate hats, waving crowds and a fake Gateway of India
From a poor little island to the first city of India. We go back in time to visit the sleepy port town at the heart of the Bombay Presidency that would transform into the Mumbai of today. We bring you rare photographs, engravings and other precious archival material to piece together a picture of how… Read more »
Once a centre of power that empires fought to control, today this fort-city is a forest of echoes and shadows
In the late 19th century, the port town of Bombay began to gain economic and cultural cred, thanks to British imperialism fighting to assert its power. This is the story of a city finding its voice
Compelling portraits from our archive of a budding metropolis, its evolving skyline and fascinating people