Studio portrait of Parbhu group, Bombay.--Photographer: Chintamon, Hurrichund Medium: Photographic print Date: 1867

Studio portrait of fourteen Parbhu men and a child, taken by Hurrichund Chintamon, c. 1867. This photograph is from the Archaeological Survey of India Collections and was shown at the 1867 Paris Exhibition. All the men wear the characteristic Prabhu turban. The Prabhus were one of the oldest communities in Mumbai; originally they were from Gujarat (north-west India) and the neighbouring areas. The usual occupation of the Prabhus was that of a clerk, however some held important posts in Government. They are usually Shaivas, but they also worship Rama and Krishna. For a detailed account of this group, see S.M. Edwardes, 'The Gazetteer of Bombay City and Island' (3 vols, Bombay, 1909), vol. I, pp. 241-247.