Over centuries, Delhi has come to mean different things to different people. It has drawn saints and scholars, conquerors and traders, refugees and royals to its fertile lands with the promise of shelter, warmth and a place to dream. These dreams were not modest, either. The saints sought spiritual absolution and the conquerors, world domination.… Read more »
Sarmad Kashani is one of the most enigmatic figures ever to be buried in the city of Delhi
The leaders, battles and victories of the Uprising of 1857, aka India’s First War of Independence. Accompanied by rare archival material from the Sarmaya collection
By the time Felice Beato arrived with his camera in 1858, the actual fighting had stopped. How then did he create such evocative photographs of war?
This is a gold mohur issued by Alamgir II (1699-1759) and minted in Shahjahanabad. Alamgir II was a Mughal Emperor, who ruled from the capital of Delhi during the latter part of the 18th century. Being raised to the throne at the age of fifty-five, he was a relatively weak and incapable ruler, and was… Read more »
Thomas H. Sherratt’s original engraving and etching, The Storming of Delhi is based upon a design created by Matthew Somerville Morgan (M. S. Morgan), depicting the siege of Kashmiri Gate (Delhi) during the Uprising of 1857. After weeks of planning from the ridge under the leadership of John Nicholson, the British captured the city of… Read more »
This is a brief historical record of the various chiefs and ruling princes who attended the Imperial Assemblage of 1912. Called the “Delhi Durbar” after the Mughal usage of the term, this was an official imperial event that was held in the Coronation Park, Delhi to celebrate the coronation of King George V and Queen… Read more »
This engraving from the Illustrated London News is a detailed depiction of the walled-city of Delhi before the Uprising of 1857. Bounded by the fort-walls on all sides, the walled city with its landmarks, palaces, havelis and bustling streets is executed in detail and almost every important section is named and numbered for identification. The… Read more »
The last Sultan of Delhi was an unlucky man. When his father Sikander Lodi died, the nobles of the court saw an opportunity to curtail the power of the dynasty. So they created a dual monarchy and around the time that Ibrahim Shah Lodi ascended the throne in Delhi in 1517, his brother Jalal Khan… Read more »
The Sarmaya collection holds an extensive range of Felice Beato’s work depicting the aftermath of the Uprising of 1857 in places like Delhi, Lucknow and Kanpur, which bore the brunt of the violence. The devastation of Kashmere Gate in Delhi was one of the landmark moments that marked the beginning of the revolution’s end. Felice… Read more »