Posted on: 29 July 2014

The palace gateway at Rampur - 1815

Watercolour of the palace's gateway at Rampur from 'Views by Seeta Ram from Gheen to Delhi Vol. VI' produced for Lord Moira, afterwards the Marquess of Hastings, by Sita Ram between 1814-15. Marquess of Hastings, the Governor-General of Bengal and the Commander-in-Chief (r. 1813-23), was accompanied by artist Sita Ram (flourished c.1810-22) to illustrate his journey from Calcutta to Delhi between 1814-15.

Rampur, located in Uttar Pradesh, was controlled by the Afghan Rohillas in the 17th century and the sole capital for the Rohillas after the 1773-4 Rohilla War. The original palace and gateway, seen in this idealised view, was remodelled in 1896 by the engineer Mr. C. Wright. View of the palace gateway at Rampur. Inscribed below: 'Rampore.'

Copyright © The British Library Board


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Been there, long ago. One museum also inside

its my city.

This appears to be Wright's Gate, one of the two main gates leading to the erstwhile Hamid Manzil palace, now the Raza Library. Engineer WC Wright lead a massive indo-saracenic architectural drive in Rampur, sponsored by the nawabs in late 19th century. This gate too was modified & here is how it looked circa 1908 ( http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/w/largeimage55830.html ) & what it looks like now ( as it awaits demolition like the city's other gates !)

From Sita Ram's art to the 1908 picture, to the recent snap, attached in above comment, one common thread - this design mosaic.

Thanks Ratnesh Mathur! Wright's Gate - Fort ,Rampur - 1908 (Credit: British Library)