Colourised photographs from 19th and 20th century Raj

Colourised photographs from 19th and 20th century Raj

Depicting everything from ancient Hindu temples to sprawling symbols of colonial might, these colourised photographs from British India show the land that inspired Rudyard Kipling to write The Jungle Book.

The stunning images from the 19th and 20th centuries illustrate the breath-taking High Court from Eden Garden in Calcutta, the majestic outline of the Taj Mahal and the tradition of dancing temple maids.

A ceremonious elephant is pictured wearing full state costume and another photograph illustrates the quaint scene of Cawnpore Memorial Well and Garden.

One picture remarkably resembles the last scene of The Jungl e Book when Mowgli leaves to join a girl in the 'Man-Village'.

Another photograph reveals a modernised version of the Golden Temple, also known as Sir Harmandir Sahib or 'The abode of God' and Kipling's birthplace in Bombay.

Kipling spent the first six years of his life in India and after ten years of living in England, he moved back to India for six and a half years.

Showing everything from ancient Hindu temples to sprawling symbols of colonial might, these photographs from British India show the land that inspired Rudyard Kipling to write The Jungle Book. Pictured is the Taj Mahal in Agra, the mausoleum of Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the Munghal emperor. Few of the images can be precisely dated but all are from 1890 and 1910

The Mausoleum of Prince Etmad-Dowlah in Agra. This is a highly-decorated building with a second-story pavilion where three people dressed in traditional dress enjoy views over the garden. The four towers are topped with chattris, or decorated stone covered platforms. Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book was largely inspired by the sights he witnessed in India

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, which is considered as the holiest site in Sikhism. The stunning building was completed in 1604, but had to be substantially rebuilt in the 1760s after an attack by Afghan warriors. It is also home to what is considered the world's largest free kitchen, which can serve more than a hundred thousand people per day

In this image, one of a collection that have been newly colourised, two temple maids in bright dresses dance together as others look on. Rudyard Kipling spent the first six years of his life in India and after ten years of living in England, he moved back to India for six and a half years. As well as his novels, he is also known as a prolific writer of poetry

Cawnpore Memorial Well and Garden, which was established to commemorate the tragic events of India's First War of Independence in 1857. This includes the massacre of 120 British women and children, whose remains were thrown down the Bibighar well during the siege of the city. In post-independence India the site serves as a public park

The Teli ka Mandir, a Hindu temple within the Gwalior fort in the province of Madhya Pradesh. The awe-inspiring structure is thought to have been bought in the eighth of ninth centuries using funds from oil merchants. Seen in the right of the picture is an elephant covered by a red sheet and an awning shading its passengers from the sun

The Diwan-i-Khas or audience hall, in New Delhi's Red Fort. This was the place where the Munghal emperor received courtiers and guests.  The structure contains a rectangular central chamber surrounded by a series of arches. The interior of the structure, located in India's capital, is decorated with floral designs and lavish gilding

The Mausoleum of Emperor Humayun, also in New Delhi. Munghal rulers regularly constructed memorial buildings for themselves and important members of the family. This was a way of demonstrating the power of the dynasty. Humayun was the second Munghal emperor and ruled over a territory that now covers parts of northern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan

Here, men in traditional dress rest in the Elephanta Caves, which are situated on an island in Mumbai harbour. The caves were thought to have been enlarged and decorated in the eight and ninth centuries, and were a Hindu place of worship until Portuguese rule began in the 16th century. The caves are now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Pictured is the High Court in Calcutta seen through the Eden Garden, where two men are enjoying a mid-day dip. The building was finished in 1872, ten years after the establishment of the court itself. It was designed by British government architect Walter Granville, who was inspired by the 13th-century cloth hall in Ypres, Belgium

The Qutb Minar in Delhi, a 240-foot tall mosque minaret that forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Rudyard wrote The Jungle Book when he lived in Vermont, USA and there is evidence that suggests that he wrote the stories for his daughter Josephine, who passed away from pneumonia in 1899 when she was six years old

In this magical scene, an elephant draped in ceremonial cloth and topped with two gilded chairs walks around a dirt road in the south of India. The tradition of dressing up elephants continues in modern day India, although it has sometimes been condemned by animal rights activists who claim the animals are mistreated

The Hindu temple on the Kalkadevi Road in Bombay, in another photograph taken between the years 1890 and 1910 that has been newly colourised. Bombay, or Mumbai, is considered one of the most populous urban regions in the world and the second most populous metropolitan area in India

This picture remarkably resembles the last scene of The Jungle Book when Mowgli leaves to join a girl in the 'Man-Village'. Rudyard wrote The Jungle Book when he lived in Vermont, USA and there is evidence that suggests that he wrote the stories for his daughter Josephine, who passed away from pneumonia in 1899 when she was six years old

Amber Castle in Jeypore, which is set against a barren landscape of red rock and scrub land that overlooks cobalt blue waters. Speaking about the Jungle Book, Kipling said: 'It chanced that I had written a tale about Indian Forestry work which included a boy who had been brought up by wolves'

This is the gopura, or temple tower, in Madurai in the south of India. Gopurams are widely found outside temples, particularly in the south of India. They are often lavishly decorated, particularly with painted figures of Gods. They were designed to provide an awe-inspiring spectacle at the entrance to the religious site

Here is another particularly lavish gopura, this time in Seringham. The British crown ruled over the Indian subcontinent, including what is now Pakistan, between 1858 and 1947. Before this areas were controlled by the British East India Company, a group of merchants who once had a private military force twice the size of the British Army

Pictured is Seringham town gate. The subcontinent split into the separate states on India and Pakistan in 1947, beginning a rush of people over the newly formed borders and widespread violence. Estimates put the number of deaths caused by the chaos as high as one and a half million

The Jain Temple in Gwalior. Jainism is one of the many religions on India, and teaches its followers that the best way to live life is in a state of peace and renunciation. Jains aim to achieve liberation of the soul, which they pursue through rituals including pilgrimage and fasting

This image, taken in the south of India, shows women grinding wheat on round millstones as children look on. These formerly black and white photographs were brought to life by shading in the original colours, creating magical depictions of life in India between 1890 and 1910

This stunning image shows a bride and bridegroom, dressed in coloured garments. Many of the people in the photo are covering their faces, while one man holds a large drum. On the ground are two children, a woman with bangles on her arms and a man holding a wooden stick

Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book was originally a collection of stories that appeared in magazines. Its main character is the 'man cub' Mowgli, a boy who is raised in the jungle by wolves. Other characters include Baloo the bear and Shere Khan the tiger. The stories have been popular with generations of children ever since they were first published in the 19th century 

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