Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all

The mahals of India have been witness to the rulers who built them—their likes, dislikes, aspirations and infirmities
Curated By: Amit Pasricha
Published: Aug 28, 2014
Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
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  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
  • Emotions, stories…Indian palaces have seen it all
I love India. It’s got to do with the built history of the country. We seem to have so much of it. Palaces are as full of emotion and expression to me, as a model is to a portrait artist. The way the light filters through jalis and stained glass windows, the way it reflects off spectacular chandeliers and mirrors, the way it bounces off the finest of fabrics and painted walls, and pools onto custom-made carpets. The interiors of these palaces reflect the likes and dislikes of the rulers who had them built. And the maharajas indulged their fantasies: A palace in Gwalior has a chandelier so heavy that an elephant was made to walk on the roof to test its strength before it was mounted. What’s missing, though, is the music and dance, the chatter of voices and laughter. But listen to the imagination and you can still hear the walls reverberating with the sounds of revelry and the buzz of running an empire.

(Amit Pasricha is a panoramic photographer. His works have been exhibited in New York, London, Berlin, Sofia, Prague and Minsk. He shot these images while working on The Monumental India Book)