Image Collections: Chapter 2


Birla Temple in Calcutta seen at Night

An opulent shrine on the Churu Road prompted an income tax raid on its patron's business headquarters in Calcutta

New temples in Rajasthan have been patronized by Marwari businessmen in Calcutta

Bathing at the Hoogley River

Burabazar bustle

Burabazar street scene

Traders in Burabazar

Cloth Traders sit on their gaddi in Burabazar

A trader rests in his gaddi in between sales. Marwari traders have often slept in their gaddis when they are new arrivals from Rajasthan

Burabazar bustle

Large buildings in Barabazar contain space for businesses and residences

A woman does her errands in Barabazar

Burabazar shot

New luxury residences in Southern Calcutta are sometimes designated as "vegetarian"

Kanoria mansion, Calcutta

A morning walk at the lake in South Calcutta

Birla Acadamy is oe of Calcutta's leading museums of art

The Birla family is one of India's wealthiest business houses

Visitors come to thje Saraswati temple in Pilani

The temple patron sits near the entrance

GD Birla was a well-known industrialist and close friend of Gandhi

The Birla temple in Pilani is dedicated to Saraswati

BITS is a pioneering institution of technology and science

GD Birla prays at the temple

Mrs. GD Birla prays to the goddess of learning at the Saraswati Temple in Pilani

Western faces add to the temple's cosmopolitan ambiance

Detail of the temple at Pilani

Laxmi Narayan Birla Temple is the patron of he Birla temple in Jaipur

The inclusion of Mrs. LN Birla as temple patron suggests the importance of the conjugal couple in Indian modernity

The Birla temple in Jaipur is the first air-conditioned temple in Asia

A visit to the Birla museum

Diplomas attest to educational achievements

Replica of Birla living room

The Birla museum displays family hierlooms

The Birla temple in Ballygunge, Calcutta

Birla temple

Birla temple

Birla temple