Historical
Data on the society of Bihar, Old Paintings,
Photographs and
films of Colonial India.
We, as official publicity and marketing consultants
of Maharajadhiraja Kameshwar Singh Kalyani Foundation,
Darbhanga, and Centre for Studies of Indian Tradition,
Madhubani, maintain very good archives having digital
copies of the collection of the Foundation. We also
have 11,000 village records from Bihar which were collected
during the first cadestal survey held in 1901-11 in
India. The digital copies are on sale by the Foundation
and the price varies according to the importance of
data.
Resources Available With us in digital forms
as well as Originals : |
| 1. |
Daniel’s Aquatints (Bihar
Series) (19th Century); Originals from Raja Ravi Varma;
Paintings from 17th, 18th and 19th centuries on cloth
and paper both using Gold anamels and paints; Mica Paintings. |
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| 2. |
Audio records of the coronation of George
V,poetry recital by Sarojini Naidu and speech on war &
peace by Pundit Madan Mohan Malviya. |
|
| 3. |
Films shot between 1931 and 1948: |
|
| a. |
Film covering Lord Sifton's (Governor
of Bihar) visit to Darbhanga shot on 10 December
1932. Lord Sifton is accompanied by Lady Sifton as well
as their daughter Betty and the officials. This is a black
& white film with captions. Total duration of this
film is 14 minutes. It covers the Governor's visit to
Lohat Sugar Mill, Raj Nagar Palace, Public library, and
Birsinghpur in detail. Some of the important people of
that time such as Late Ganganand Singh, Mr. Moore, and
Raja Radhika Raman Prasad (a great literary figure) of
Surajpura are shown. The fireworks on the lake and the
banquet and dinner are covered elaborately. |
|
| b. |
Film covering Lord Linlithgo's
(Viceroy) visit to Darbhanga, accompanied by Lady Linlithgo.
The building of secretariate shown in the film suggests
that it is pre-1934 film. A black & white film of
8 minutes, it covers the arrival of the Viceroy at Darbhanga
by the train, his visit to the Darbhanga Raj Hospital,
Raj Secretariate, unveiling of the statue of late Maharaja
Maheshwar Singh (Grandfather of Maharaja Kameshwar Singh)
and the Banquet at Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace (Anandbagh)
now Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University. The
banquet at palace and the grandeur is breathtaking. Almost
all the events carry caption. The film is relatively in
good state. |
|
| c. |
Film covering Lord Wavell's
(Viceroy) visit to Darbhanga on 14th December 1945.
(First colour film to be shot in India)The total length
of this film is of 9 minutes 53 seconds out of which
7minutes and 34 seconds are in colour and rest in black
& white. It covers the arrival of Lord Wavell at
Darbhanga by air, accompanied by Lady Wavell
and Sir Thomas Rutherford (Governor of Bihar),
visit to the Lady Willingdon Hospital, Kameshwari Priya
Poor Home, Garden Party at Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace
and the Banquet. This is the best preserved film. Telephonic
enquiry with the Films Archives of India, Poone and
various other organisation suggests that this is the
earliest coloured film shot in India.
Besides these there are many more films
covering football matches and polo matches held on special
occasions ( the polo match features the Players such
as Rajabahadur Viseshwar Singh and other Maharajas),
Banquet attended by Maharajas of Gwalior, Jaipur, etc.
marriage ceremony of Kumar Jeeveshwar Singh (coloured
film of 1948) garden parties, dance party at
Lakshmeshwar Vilas Palace, etc.
|
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| 4. |
Photographs of important Indian and British
Dignitaries from Colonial India |
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| 5. |
Rare books published in eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries. |
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| 6. |
Manuscripts, historical documents in the
form of diaries, letters, photographs, sanads and copies
of Farmans of mughal period. |
|
| 7. |
7,000 village records of Bihar collected
in the first cadestal survey of 1901-11. |
|
| 8. |
Films and photographs of Aripanas of Mithila. |
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| 9. |
Folk songs of Mithila rendered by untrained
women folk. |
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| 10. |
Photographs of historical monuments and
tourist destinations of Bihar. |
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| 11. |
Books Published in Kameshwar Singh
Bihar Heritage Series. FOR SALE. |
|
| a. |
Babu Ramdeen Singh Rachita Bihar
Durpan (in Hindi), ed. Dhirendra Nath Singh,
1996, ($5)
Bihar Durpan was first published in 1881. It contains
the biographical sketches of twenty four Biharis of different
caste groups. These sketches present quite a rich account
of the socio-economic life of the people of Bihar during
late Mughal and early colonial days. |
 |
| b. |
India Tracts : Major J. Browne’s
Report on the Jungle Tarai People of South Bihar during
1774 - 1779, ed. Chandra Prakash N. Sinha,
Foreword by Professor Walter Hauser, 1996 ($6)
India Tracts was first published in 1788 in London. The
book contains accounts (in English) of the people and
territory of Jharkhand. It also deals with the revolt
of Bhuiyas and Pahariyas in the second half of the eighteenth
century. |
 |
| c. |
A Glimpse of Tirhut in the Second
Half of the Nineteenth Century : Riaz-i-Tirhut of Ayodhya
Prasad “Bahar”, ed. Hetukar Jha,
1997 ($6)
Riaz-i-Tirhut (in Urdu) was first published in 1868. The
author narrated the details of the socio-economic life
of the people of north eastern Bihar based mostly on his
personal observation. The present edition contains both
the original version as well as its translation in Hindi. |
|
| d. |
Kalyani Kosh, A Maithili - English
Dictionary, ed.Pt. Govinda Jha,
1999 ($15)
This is the first Maithili - English dictionary and has
more than forty thousand Maithili words (in both Deonagari
and Roman scripts) along with their meanings in Maithili
as well as English. |
 |
| e. |
Mithila in the Nineteenth Century
: Aina-i-Tirhut of Bihari Lal ‘Fitrat’,ed.
Hetukar Jha, 2001 ($14)
Aina-i-Tirhut (in Urdu) was first published in 1883. It
contains a very elaborate and objective account of the
culture, education, professions, religious activities,
heritage sites, famines, ecology as well as economy of
north eastern Bihar during the nineteenth century. The
present edition includes both the original version and
its translation in Hindi. |
 |
| f. |
Mauz-i-Sultani : Mughal Rajkumar
Zubairuddin Gurgani ka Yatra Vrittanta (in Hindi),
ed. Surendra Gopal, 2003 ($12)
Mauz-i-Sultani was first published in 1884. It contains
the travel accounts of a descendant of the last Mughal
emperor of India. Mirza Mohammad Rayees Bakhta Zubairuddin
Bahadur Gurgani resided at Darbhanga during the last days
of his life. The book has much information about quite
a number of places of Bihar. |
 |
| g. |
Transformation of Bihar : European
Discourses (From Late 16th to Early 19th Century)
by Prof. Aniruddha Ray, 2003 ($20)
Contains the details of trade and other part of life in
Bihar as described by the officials of French and Dutch
companies engaged in trade in the above mentioned period.
* Postage extra, depending upon the distance and mode
asked by the buyer |
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