Author: W Urwick
Publisher: Nanda Books
Year: 2006
Language: English
Pages: 220
ISBN/UPC (if available): N/A
Description
This superbly illustrated panorama of India in the 1880s recaptures the infinite variety and exotic splendours of the British Raj at its zenith. In this vast subcontinent, extremes of wealth and power sat side-by-side with utter destitution, for the bewildering mosaic of religion, race and language reflects in mankind the extravagant diversity of India’s geography-the mighty mountains of the Himalayas, the deserts, and jungles and the broad flood-plains of the great, winding rivers.
Through this colourful land of contrast and unending change, our guide takes us on a whistle-stop tour, setting out from Ceylon and concluding in Bombay:
Ceylon: the green and luxuriant island set in the hot Indian Ocean, its jungles hiding ancient temples, and ruined cities, its hills and valleys covered by plantations of coffee and tea.
Madras Presidency: the inhospitable Coromandel coast, where the north-cast monsoon strikes without mercy, the city of Madras and the great Dravidian Temples of Siva at Madura and Scringham
The Bengal provinces: the city of Calcutta, the Ganges, and into the castern Himalayas to Assam, Darjeeling and Nepal.
The North-West Provinces and Oude: Benares, Lucknow, Cawnpore and the Splendid palaces of the Moguls
The Punjab: Delhi, the Indus and the land of the Sikhs
Rajputana and the Central India Agency: Gwalior, the northern Kingdom of the Mahrattas
Bombay Presidency: Back to the coast; the tigers of the Narbada Valley, Buddhist cave temples, Gujarat, Goa and Poona
Turning the pages of The Centennial Travel Series, the reader embarks upon a journey in both time and place-to tour, with expert guides, the great countries of the world as they were a hundred years ago.
This was the great age of railway travel, before the coming of the motorcar and the aero plane. And the itinerary in each book follows the leisurely style of the Victorian age: by steamer, railway, carriage and foot. The descriptions of scenes and places were written by a small group of enthusiastic travelers, including several clergymen, observant reporters of all they saw. Each book, republished now in its original late-nineteenth century format, is thus based upon the author’s personal experiences, the words complemented by superb engravings on almost every page.
Contents
THE GOLDEN TEMPLE, AMRITSAR
HEALING-THE PALACE, LAHORE
MAP OF INDIA
HEALING-PALANGUIN
CEYLON
Position and Aspect of the Island-Galle and Colombo-Newera Ellia and Pedro-Talla-Galla-Adam’s Peak and Kandy-The Bo Tree-the Ruined Cities, Anurajapura and Pollonarua-Christianity in the Island
MADRAS PRESIDENCY
Tinnevelly and Travancore-The Dravidian Temples-Madura-Trichinopoloy-Tanjore-Madras-The Coast Voyage Northward
THE BENGAL PROVINCES
Orissa and Juggernaut-Calcutta and its surroundings-Barrackpore –Serampore-Darjeeling and the Himalayas-The Great Gangetic Plain
THE NORTH-WEST PROVINCES AND OUDE
Benares, the Holy city-the Mutiny Cities: Lucknow and Cawnpore-the Mohammedan Cities: Agra and Allahabad
THE PUNJAB
Its condition and extent-Delhi and its plains-Amritsar and Lahore-Peshawar and Kashmir-Simla-Landour-Dharmsala-Dalhousie
RAJPUTANA AND CENTRAL INDIA AGENCY
Mount Abu-Udaipur and Chittore-Adjmere-Jaipur-Alwar-Gwalior-Sonaghur-Sanchi-Bhopal
BOMBAY PRESIDENCY
Jabalpur, Ajanta, and Elura-Bombay-Caves of Elephanta, Kennery, Karli-Mataeran-Poona-Mahableshwr-Surat-Baroda-Kutch-Sinde