Rock & Ruler: Golconda’s Trail of Diamonds
What the chain of diamonds trickling from the marketplaces of Golconda tells us about the dynasties that branded and traded, and won and lost them
Nizam
Visiting Lala Deen Dayal’s India
In the mid-1870s, an Indian engineer emerged as an unlikely documentarian of both the British Raj and princely India. The story of Lala Deen Dayal is tied to the fortunes of Hyderabad and its flamboyant sixth Nizam
The Hyderabad Affair
If you’ve never been to Hyderabad, you might associate certain stereotypical things with it, like the jaw-dropping Nizam’s jewels that leave the vaults of the RBI to make their appearances at crowded exhibitions now and again. Or what many consider the definitive dum biryani—and they’re willing to fight you over this. Or the behemoth that… Read more »
Deccan Chronicles: The Seven Nizams (and one Diwan) of Hyderabad
While the Nizams were alive, neither the Mughals, nor the French, nor the British, could wrest control of Hyderabad. On their watch, the city swayed to its own rhythm, breathing new life into Deccani art, music, dance and poetry
Jewel In The Crown – The Most Exquisite Jewellery Owned by Indian Royalty
From the Nizam’s jewels to the Maharaja of Kapurthala’s Cartier headdress, we dive for gems among Sarmaya’s treasure trove of rare 19th-century photographs
Shape Shifting: Tracing Classic Indian Style Silhouettes Through The Ages
From the bandhgala to the churidaar and from the dupatta to the lungi, we admire the definitive silhouettes of India and see how they’ve functioned as signposts of the eras that birthed them
The Nizam of Hyderabad
The tradition of painted photography was a syncretic visual culture of photography and painting, which began in India in the 19th century, almost at the same time as photography came to India. This genre became extremely popular in the country for two main reasons. One, it brought colour to the relatively quiet world of black… Read more »