Discovery of India: A Precious Visual History
Early Photography and Archaeology in Western India: The Udaipur Chapter: A rare collection of 19th century photographs of Western India and the visual history of Mewar is on display in an incredible show in Udaipur.
By Raju Mansukhani in Udaipur
On 15 October 2026 the exhibition titled ‘Early Photography and Archaeology in Western India: The Udaipur Chapter’ was opened to the public, marking the coming together of venerated institutions like The British Library, London; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai; and The City Palace Museum, Udaipur. It was the culmination of months of meticulous planning and work to present the collection of rare 19th century photographs of Western India along with the visual history of Mewar in the exhibition. In many ways it is the ‘Discovery of India’ for us through these precious, preserved photographs.
The exhibition will be on view till 31 March 2027.
Presented at the exhibition are 78 photographs of archaeological sites of Western India, from CSMVS. which are part of the British Library collection. There are 23 additional archival photos of Udaipur from the British Library, besides 16 archival photos, four archival architectural drawings and register, along with a Bahida or court record from the reign of Maharana Fateh Singh from The City Palace Museum, Udaipur.
1. 'Lala Deen Dayal, Street-view near the palace, Odeypur' is from the British Library Photo collection 430/46(2). One of India's most prominent photographers of the 19th century, Lala Deen Dayal (1844-1905) was originally trained as a surveyor at Thomason Engineering College at Roorkee, and ultimately established photographic studios at Indore, Hyderabad and Bombay. The photograph here is from an album titled 'Views in Meywar' featuring 33 architectural and topographical views of the State of Mewar. He focused not just on Udaipur but also Chittorgarh and Ahar in Rajasthan. In this photograph we see the road leading up to the Badi Pol or the Great Gate of the City Palace of Udaipur. It was photographed sometime in 1890.
On display is a modern print from a digital print, size: 133 x 198 mm.
2. 'Bullock-drawn temple car at Hathi Singh’s Temple, Ahmadabad', was photographed by Edmund David Lyon around 1869. It is one of the only non-architectural images produced by Lyon during his work in western India, from the British Library collection (Neg 1000 (3241)). Lyon writes of this striking subject that 'both the housings and head-dress of the bullocks are of satin and gold, as also the canopy of the carriage over the idol, the whole vehicle also being richly gilt. On display is modern albumen print from a wet collodion negative; size 255 x 305 mm.
3. 'Swami Narayan Temple, Ahmadabad' from the Edmund David Lyon collection, dated 1869, is from the British Library archive Neg 1000(3244a). On display is the modern albumen print from a wet collodion negative. The Swaminarayan Temple at Ahmadabad was the first of six large temples built by Swaminarayan (1781-1830) in his life. The temple comprises a line of three sanctuaries dedicated to Krishna, Radha and Swaminarayan itself. His teachings remain influential both in India and internationally, with several million followers till date.
4. View of the exhibition at the Fateh Niwas Gallery at the Zenana Mahal of The City Palace Museum, Udaipur.
5. At the inaugural: From the British Library, Dr. Luisa Elena Mengoni, Director of Collections, and Dr. Malini Roy, Head of the Visual Arts Section, graced the event and lauded the collaborative efforts of the institutions.
6. Poster of the exhibition.
Photo-credit: Media Office, MMCF
Raju Mansukhani is a researcher-writer on history and heritage issues; a media consultant with leading museums, non-profits and corporates in India and overseas. He has authored books on diverse subjects including media, architecture, sports and contemporary history.