October 11, 2003

Aided by actresses, photographers and artists, the architectural heritage of the subcontinent was seen in a new light in Montreal, says Batool Mahmood

A photographic and pictorial exhibition of the subcontinent’s architectural heritage titled “Traces of India — changing views of the monuments of the subcontinent” at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal, takes the viewer on a monumental journey through India’s history.

Viewed through the lens of colonial British photographers and artists, at a time when photography was relatively a new phenomenon, these images did more than just freeze a moment in time. They were put to innovative use and assigned a multiplicity of tasks that ranged from preserving records of battles won to showing off excavated archeological treasures and were used to enlighten and educate the British public back home.

The photographs, engravings and etchings on display are mostly from the middle of the 19th century. It was at this time that the war of independence or the “Sepoy Mutiny” of 1857 brought about the dissolution of the East India Company and made way for direct administration by the British government. The battles fought in Agra, Delhi and Luckhnow, in or against the backdrops of majestic monuments and forts, were documented by journalists and photographers such as Felice Beato and John Murray and were collected, circulated and preserved by the British community as a record of the times.

One such photograph shows the Agra Fort that was a refuge for five to six thousand British residents of Agra during the mutiny and was also a military arsenal. The albumen silver print titled: “British arsenal and Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) in the fort at Agra”, shows a small pyramid of canon balls in the foreground flanked by two bigger pyramids. Just behind is the mouth of a large canon and then the pattern is repeated with a row of canons followed by a row of pyramids. This extensive arsenal stands out against the peaceful backdrop of the arched gateway and elegant domes of the beautiful Mughal mosque.

Another albumen silver print (1858) by Charles Moravia is of the massive stone walls of the Red Fort, a close-up of the shell-pocked stone and of the crumbling pieces of the crenellated ramparts shows the damage incurred by the fort. A plaque next to the photograph explains that the fort was built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jehan and was the seat of Mughal power.

After the mutiny, it became the seat of the British Government in 1858. The fort is a powerful symbol representing centralized government and retains its importance to the present day. The plaque goes on to explain that “the national flag flies atop the fort and since 1950 the Prime Minister of India has addressed the nation from the fort’s ramparts on Independence Day.” The symbolism exuded by India’s monuments, both large and small, can also be seen in the poster and calendar art on display at the exhibition that dates from pre and post-colonial India. When applied to some of India’s larger-than-life monuments such as the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort we can see how this symbolism acts as a cohesive force in the subcontinent’s social, economic and political life — a fact that is well-documented.

One example illustrating this can be seen at the time of the end of British rule in India that ushered in an era of consumerism. This new development brought with it the appreciation of how well-known symbols could be exploited to sell goods. A poster displaying the famous Indian actress Hema Malini seated against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal is a striking example of this trend. Draped in a turquoise sari, her long, silken hair cascading down her back, Malini endorses brands of soap and detergent.

A nearby plaque explains that “significantly the detergent is produced in Gujarat, packaged in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and advertised by companies in Agra and Kolkata. The elements of the image evolve and draw together different parts of the country, suggesting pan-nationalism in consumers’ shared experience of these artefacts.”

But while the super-imposition of monuments for commercial or artistic purposes is a part of poster art, the doctoring of photographs to mislead the public was a new development practised by some photographers in colonial India. This was an early form of sensationalism, showing the power of the media to misinform even at that time. One such photograph by Felice Beato shows the battered Sikandar Bagh Palace, its foreground littered with bones and skeletal remains. The photographer manipulated the image by unearthing the bones of Indian sepoys killed in 1857 from their temporary abode at the Sikandar Bagh in Luckhnow and scattering them for effect in front of the palace.

New techniques were also used in the creation of images that were artistic rather than just representational. A large waxed paper negative of the Taj Mahal (1855) from the Rubel Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York by John Murray is particularly haunting with a luminosity about it that brings to mind the translucence and beauty of the white marble of the Taj. The monument stands out against a black background that accentuates the white and gray shades of the negative.

The immensity of the subcontinent’s architectural treasures both above and below ground, made photography a particularly useful medium as a means of supplementing excavation records and preserving and recording India’s history. Since the architecture could not be exported back home, photographs were used to educate and show the British public the vast treasure trove of antiquities in Imperial India.

Models of historically relevant buildings were also cast and sent back to Britain so that they could be seen in three- dimensional form. One such model made of soapstone and plaster was of the ‘Sanchi’ stupa executed in 1870 by Indian craftsmen working under the direction of one Lieutenant Henry Harding. The silver-gray dome of the stupa circled at intervals by a cross-legged Indian deity is now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Other photographs recorded the architectural traits peculiar to different regions of India and showed some of the hidden marvels such as the magnificent murals in the Ajanta caves from the first century BC. A painting by William Simpson shows a British artist, who had been commissioned to record the murals, busy at work. These were then exhibited at the Great Exhibition of the Industry of all nations at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851. The exhibition had temporary pavilions inspired by Indian architecture and coloured lithographs show us the displays of models in these pavilions that were festooned with Indian carpets and had ‘models in clay and wood depicting ceremonies, customs and furniture.’ Families, curious to learn more about India visited the pavilions.

Postcards and ingeniously created board games also played their role in making India’s architecture familiar to a wider audience in Britain. A postcard showing the Qutub Minar in Delhi, reputedly one of the tallest buildings in the world at the time, has inscribed on it: ‘Kutub Minar, the pillar 238 feet 1 inch high, 47 feet 3 inches in diameter — AD1200-1220, Delhi.’ The sender’s message has been written around the edge of the postcard and reads: ‘Delhi, India Jan’07. We have been today to see this wonder. Greetings to you all and to Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan.’

Amongst the board games of the period is one called: ‘A Traveling Game of India. Designed to afford instruction and amusement in the Home Circle.’ An accompanying booklet explains the rules of the game that has been “designed to convey in an interesting form, information respecting that great country in its historical, geographical, social and religious aspects.” It comes with illustrated woodcuts showing the different monuments.

And like the game, the comprehensive nature of the exhibition leaves the viewer with an enhanced perception of the multi-dimensional roles assigned to the subcontinent’s architectural treasures — a tradition that continues even today.