Bombay Photo Images[ Mumbai]

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

INDIA POST AND MAIL SERVICE 1500 ONWARDS

A traditional container for formal letters that were to be delivered by a special herald or messenger;

*"A kinkhab bag, Kharita, used as an envelope by the princes of India, with the seal of H.H. Tukoji Rao Holkar... engraved by Shekh Nisar Mahomed of Delhi," from the Journal of Indian Arts, vol. 1, London 1886*

"Diorama of the route of the overland mail to India-- Leaving Suez," from the Illustrated London News, 1850

Tallis maps from 1850′s were very interesting. It gives you a sense of place, a sense of geography and a sense of images from the place.
Like the one above, it has the map, it has the color coded overland routes to India and is adorned with little vignette of the images and those little camels and lions are just so adorable.
In the 1830s, the Suez route—steamship to Alexandria, overland to Port Suez, steamer across the Arabian Sea—halved the travel time from London to India: three months rather than six. (It would halve again with the opening of the canal in 1869.)

For all England's pride in its empire, few Englishman had any sense of it before the 1850s.

The Arab slave trade passed mainly over land routes

Click anywhere on the image to zoom. Click and drag the image to pan.

"Mail-gary in the northwest of India," from 'Ballou's Pictorial,' 1856

"Dawk Walas (Postmen)

"Slinging letter-bags in the rainy season," from the Illustrated London News, 1858

The catamaran postman"*

"Her Majesty's Mail in India," from the Illustrated London News, 1867

Successive postmarks on a letter to the Nawab of Rampur, 1867

The postmarks show that the letter travelled from Delhi to Meerut, then on to Calcutta, then on to Aligarh, then to Rampur, where it finally caught up with the Nawab.

"The postal services carriage," by A. de Neuville, from 'Le Tour du Monde', 1873

A special postal office was set up on the Prince of Wales's ship (Illustrated London News, 1875);

Loading mailbags into the Prince of Wales's ship, from The Graphic, 1875*

"Gwalior: The Dak-Ghari," from 'India and its Native Princes' by Louis Rousselet, 1878

A letter sent from Diu to Karachi in 1881; the envelope has been secured with sealing-wax

c.1900, from India : across the man's chest is a leather strap, leading to his letter pouch; in one hand he carries a package, and on his shoulder is a large metal badge that reads "Post Office Delivery Peon No. 11

The staff of the Delhi Central Post Office, in a photo by Raja Deen Dayal, 1903 (to celebrate the coronation of Edward VII)

"Mail sorters," a photo by A. Keyes, 1925-30

Post By Walk

Post By Bullock Cart

Post By Tonga

Post By Coach

Post By Train

Post By Ship

Post By Air Mail

ORISSA POLICE PIGEON POST

Issued in 1989 to pay tribute to the last Pigeon Post service still in service

Pigeon Post: a woodcut from 1481

Pigeon Post was an official form of communication during the early times

POST Carried by Elephant

Launch of the West India mail steam-ship “Solent,” at Cowes

Genuine original antique engraving, 1853

Caption below picture: 'Launch of the West India mail steam-ship “Solent,” at Cowes'

Monday, October 17, 2011

Shirdi Sai Baba

Shirdi Sai Baba Rare & Original Old Photos - Digitally improved Photos

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Saturday, October 15, 2011

WORLD MAPS FROM 1300 B.C. TO 1500 A.D

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Full View of Amphitheatre and Gate way of India

The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay, prior to the Delhi Durbar, in December 1911.
An amphitheatre was constructed to entertain the public. In its place today
stands the Gateway of India.
The foundation stone was laid on 31 March 1911, by the Governor of Bombay Sir George Sydenham Clarke, with the final design of George Wittet sanctioned in August 1914. Between 1915 and 1919 work proceeded on reclamations at Apollo Bundar (Port) for the land on which the gateway and the new sea wall would be built. The foundations were completed in 1920, and construction was finished in 1924. The Gateway was opened on 4 December 1924, by the Viceroy, theEarl of Reading

The Gateway of India is an arch monument built during the 20th century in Bombay, India. The monument was built to commemorate the landing of King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder on their visit to India in 1911. At the time of the royal visit, the gateway was not yet built, and a cardboard structure greeted the monarch.⁣
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The foundation stone was laid in March 1913 for a monument built in the Indo-Saracenic style, incorporating elements of 16th-century Marathi architecture.⁣
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The final design of the monument by architect George Wittet was sanctioned only in 1914, and construction was completed in 1924. It was opened to the public on 4 December 1924 by then viceroy Reading.⁣
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The structure is an arch made of basalt, 26 metres (85 feet) high. The stones were sourced locally while the p

King George V & Queen Mary Leaving India, 1912 Photo

This is an old 1912 photo of King George V and Queen Mary leaving India. Seen here at Apollo Bunder is the royal couple leaving the shores of Bombay, now Mumbai. After their engrossing five-week visit to India for the 1911 Delhi Durbar. Apollo Bunder the precursor to the Gateway of India was a landing jetty. A place for embarkation and disembarkation complete with customs formalities for steamer passengers.

See my post- Apollo Bunder Before The Gateway Of India – Old Print 1874

The King and Queen are walking towards the jetty after a farewell ceremony in their honor. A Pavillion specially erected for the occasion is partially visible at the back. An amphitheater was also erected close to the Pavillion for a grand ceremony and reception to the departing Monarchs. They will board a special boat that will ferry them to the Royal yacht. The Taj Hotel and the Greens Hotel are also visible in the background.

Did you know- the last British ships set to sail in 1947 to leave the country from the Gateway of India making it a legend.

From the collection- Vintage Oleograph Raja Ravi Varma “Vishnu On Sheshnag”., 6 Old Photographs of British India Era Vintage Cars., Aerial View of Parliament New Delhi – Old Print 1946., Watson’s Hotel Bombay – Old Postcard 1907

(FLORA FOUNTAIN & THE CENTRAL TELEGRAPH OFFICE — BOMBAY — YEAR 1864

An exquisitely sculpted monument, Flora Fountain lies at the southern end of Hornby
Road. It cost Rs 47,000 to build in the year 1864. Designed by R Norman Shaw and
sculpted in imported Portland stone by James Forsythe, the fountain was to be named
after Governor Frère, but took on the name of the Roman goddess who formed a part
of the fountain’s design.
The Central Telegraph Office is a heritage structure that is now used as an office complex
by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. It is more than a century old and is built in the Gothic
style of architecture in stone masonry and wood.

Level Crossing Church Gate

Before Churchgate Station became the grand structure it is today, it was simply a level
crossing. It has been the southernmost station of Bombay since the 1930s, and gets
its name from the area it is located in, Church Gate Street (now Veer Nariman Road).
During the 18th and up to the mid 19th century, Bombay was a walled city with three
gates, and Church Gate, named after St Thomas Cathedral, was one of them located
near the present day Flora Fountain.
Being one of the busiest stations in the city, it is the terminus
of the Western Railway line of the city’s suburban railway.

Lady Ratan Tata’s Town Mansion

This baroque-styled building with prominent facades of Corinthian colonnades and
finely crafted lion statues was once the residence of Sir Ratan Tata and Lady Navajbai.
Situated at the corner of Murzban Road, this Grade IIA heritage building was designed
by French architect Mon Marice. Construction was undertaken by Rajoo Babaji, under
the supervision of architect Charles Steven.
The ground floor housed a library, kitchen and pantry with the servants quarters in
the outhouse. The first floor was a guest suite, while the second comprised of Lady
Navajbai and Naval Tata’s suites. The sprawling lawn behind is where Sterling Cinema
stands today. In the 1990s, Deutsche Bank acquired this palatial structure.
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ANTILIA BY AMBANI