Falaknuma Palace, Hyderabad [India]

Falaknuma Palace is one of the finest palaces in Hyderabad, India belonging to the Paigahs but later owned by the Nizams. It is located on a 32 acre, 19400 sqaure meters area in Falaknuma, 5 km from Charminar. It was built by Nawab Vikar-ul-Umra, the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad. Falak-numa literally means “Like the Sky” or “Mirror of the Sky” in Urdu.

In 2000 Taj Hotels started renovating and restoring it. The new renovated hotel was opened in November, 2010 as “Taj Falaknuma Palace”. The rooms and halls were decorated with ornate furniture, rich handcrafted tapestries and brocade from France. The interiors are a splendid interplay of Venetian chandeliers and intricate frescos, and have charming outdoor terraces, and a treasure of rare artefacts,including paintings, statues, furniture, manuscripts and books. The palace also has a 101-seat dining hall, considered as world’s largest, and the Durbar Hall.

 

Nepal's deadly flood

A flash flood caused by an avalanche in the Annapurna mountain range, in Kaski district, Nepal, May 5, 2012. At least 20 people are confirmed to have died and dozens are still missing due to the flood in Pokhara and adjoining villages in Kaski district, according to local media report. 

Hillary Clinton in India

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) waves upon her arrival at
the airport in Kolkata.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waves from a car upon her arrival 
at the airport in Kolkata.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) watches a girl do karate
during an anti-human trafficking event in Kolkata.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L) speaks with Mamata
Banerjee, chief minister of West Bengal, in Kolkata. 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves the Taj Hotel in Kolkata 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meets with Congress party head
Sonia Gandhi in Delhi. 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton smiles during a public forum
at La Martiniere .

1912 photos of Calcutta found in a Peter Lord shoebox in Edinburgh

Amazing collection of photographs depicting life in India a century ago are found in an old shoebox. A tennis party pose among tea trolleys: full-length dresses and sun hats for the ladies; shirt-sleeve order, neat moustaches and optional pipe for the men. 


One image shows buildings in the city of Calcutta lit up over the Lal Dighi body of water, commemorating a British royal visit, while another depicts ships arriving at the Chandpal Ghat, the main landing site for visitors to the city along the Hooghly River. 


All 178 of the plate-glass negatives were found inside a size-nine Peter Lord shoebox by the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) in Edinburgh. All 178 images were found in a Peter Lord shoebox in Edinburgh and are about 100 years old. 

A tennis party poses (one, far right, with a pipe) among tea trolleys in this 

photo taken in India around a century ago. 

Two men stick dance in front of a crowd in Maidan, Calcutta. The dance

represents a mock fight between legendary warrior Durga and the mighty 

demon king Mahishasura.

Buildings on the south-east side of Lal Dighi, Calcutta, lit at night for the 

1912 British royal visit by King George V and Queen Mary.

Archivists have confirmed some of the images were definitely taken in 1912, 

when the royals visited. It was the only trip by a British monarch to India 

as Emperor of the subcontinent. 

King George V and the Queen arrive in Delhi in 1911. 

A crowded riverside with bathers at Chandpal Ghat in Calcutta, the main

landing site for visitors to the city along the Hooghly River. 

A street scene in an unknown location, capturing life in India at least 

a century ago. 

Ships arriving at Chandpal Ghat, while crowds gather by the docks.

A Jain temple complex in Calcutta. RCAHMS hopes that members of the 

public and photography enthusiasts might be able to shed more light on the

photographic discovery.

A street hairdresser giving a 'Hindustani haircut' (pudding bowl) 

in Strand Road South, Calcutta.

Celebrations for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Calcutta in 1912. 

A Muhurram (sacred month) procession through a crowded Calcutta street 

with tazieh theatre performance in the background. Tazieh drama re-enacts heroic

tales of love and sacrifice. 

Calcutta is lit up for the royal visit; right, a group seated in two ferry canoes moored in a stream at an unknown location. 

Waterside with a group of washermen at a dhobi ghat (open-air laundry zone.