--- title: "India 150 Years Ago: The Photographer Behind Rare Photos of Taj, Sanchi, Ellora & More" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/india-photographer-dayal-heritage-archive-9tcla publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: Society published: 2026-08-26T16:30:31.997Z modified: 2026-08-26T18:30:05.137Z language: en-IN --- # India 150 Years Ago: The Photographer Behind Rare Photos of Taj, Sanchi, Ellora & More A 19th-century photographer, Lala Deen Dayal, documented India's monuments and daily life across the subcontinent, earning a royal appointment and building a large studio operation. Much of his archive faced dispersal after his death, but a significant subset was acquired in 1989, preserving a view ## Key takeaways - Lala Deen Dayal transitioned from engineering-related work to photography by the 1870s and documented a wide range of subjects in India. - A 1882 expedition with Sir Lepel Griffin produced images of major monuments across the subcontinent. - Dayal held a royal appointment as court photographer in Hyderabad and ran commercial studios, including a private zenana facility. - An estimated 30,000 photographs were created during his career, but much of the archive was later dispersed until a large portion was recovered in 1989 by IGNCA. ## What Happened Lala Deen Dayal, born into a jeweller family, trained as a civil engineer in 1866 and initially worked as a surveyor and draughtsman in Indore, where he first used photography to document land. By the mid-1870s, photography had become his vocation. In 1882, he traveled across India with Sir Lepel Griffin, taking photographs of landmarks including the Taj Mahal, Sanchi, and Ellora, at a time when European photographers largely dominated the field. His work captured not only monuments but also India’s landscapes, famines, major events, and a range of people from British officials to Indian royal figures and everyday citizens. The Nizam of Hyderabad recognized Dayal’s talent and appointed him as his court photographer, granting him the title “Raja Bahadur Musavvir Jung Bahadur” (Bold Warrior of Photography). Dayal also ran a commercial studio network, sold prints and portraits, employed dozens of people, and operated a zenana studio in Hyderabad that allowed women to be photographed privately. Across his career, he produced an estimated 30,000 photographs. After his death, much of his archive disappeared as fragile glass-plate negatives were reportedly sold as scrap. In 1989, the IGNCA acquired 2,857 glass-plate negatives from the Dayal studios, forming the largest repository of his work and providing a window into a bygone India. Dayal’s lens covered a wide spectrum—from grand architectural heritage to social scenes and transformative moments as the country moved from tradition toward modernization. ## Why It Matters The story highlights a photographer who helped shape how India’s past is seen, through images of monuments, landscapes, and diverse social worlds. The 1989 acquisition by IGNCA preserved a substantial body of work that would have otherwise faded, enabling scholars and the public to access a substantial archive of late 19th-century photographic documentation. The recognition by a regional ruler and the establishment of specialized studios also illustrate the commercial and cultural potential of photography in that era. ## Background Dayal’s career began with engineering-related land documentation, evolving into a full-time photography vocation by the 1870s. His travels with a colonial-era administrator allowed access to major monuments and royal patrons, blending imperial and princely contexts in his subject matter. His studios expanded operations and included private settings for women, signaling novel use cases for photography in social life and gender contexts of the time. ## Key Facts - Dayal trained as a civil engineer in 1866 and started as a surveyor/draughtsman in Indore. - Photography became his calling by the mid-1870s. - In 1882, he toured across India with Sir Lepel Griffin to photograph monuments including the Taj Mahal, Sanchi, and Ellora. - He photographed landscapes, famines, major events, and a range of social groups. - The Nizam of Hyderabad appointed him court photographer and gave the title Raja Bahadur Musavvir Jung Bahadur. - He ran studios that sold prints, portraits, and operated a zenana studio in Hyderabad. - Estimated total photographs produced: about 30,000. - After his death, thousands of glass-plate negatives were reportedly sold as scrap. - In 1989, IGNCA acquired 2,857 glass-plate negatives from the Dayal studios, forming a major repository. --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/india-photographer-dayal-heritage-archive-9tcla Reported from: Multiple Sources