Kangra, Very ancient Temple at Byjnath
Photograph
1864 (photographed)
1864 (photographed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In 1863 Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) arrived in India. He had left his job as a Nottingham bank clerk in order to develop a new career as a photographer. Bourne undertook three treks to Kashmir and the western Himalayas in 1863, 1864 and 1866, during which he photographed his surroundings extensively. He began his second trip to India, during which this photograph was taken, in March 1864. It was to be a nine-month expedition through the Kashmir region.
This photograph shows the 13th-century temple at Baijnath (Byjnath), one of the best preserved Hindu stone temples in the Kangra Valley. Baijnath is about fifty kilometres from Dharamshala and is a popular pilgrimage site as its waters are believed to possess healing qualities.
Throughout his travels Bourne wrote about his first impressions of the places he visited and these writings were published in the British Journal of Photography. His first impressions of the temples at Baijnath were somewhat mixed: “…The next day I encamped at Byjnath, and lost no time in looking out at the temples of which I had heard. The first I came upon presented nothing worth the journey, and I was disappointed; but the second was a larger one, and possessed some features of interest. In the court surrounding the temple were two stone bullocks cut out of solid blocks, and evidently very ancient, as nothing but the general form remained - all the details and sharper features had yielded to the mutilating hand of Time. The portico of the temple was ornamented by sculptured figures representing the three incarnations of the Hindoo deity, Brahma, Seeva and Vishnu. I perceived that I should not be able to get a general view of the wall which surrounded it, so contented myself with a portion of it, and a view of the portico and one of the stone bullocks.” Bourne, S, Narrative of a Photographic Trip to Kashmir (Cashmere) and Adjacent Districts, The British Journal of Photography, 5 October 1866, p.475
Towards the end of the 1860s, Bourne established a partnership with fellow photographer and Englishman Charles Shepherd (fl. 1858-1878) and in the space of a few years Bourne & Shepherd became the pre-eminent photographic firm in India. By the end of 1870 they had three branches, in Simla, Calcutta and Bombay.
Samuel Bourne’s ability to combine technical skill and artistic vision has led to him being recognised today as one of the most outstanding photographers working in India in the nineteenth century.
This photograph shows the 13th-century temple at Baijnath (Byjnath), one of the best preserved Hindu stone temples in the Kangra Valley. Baijnath is about fifty kilometres from Dharamshala and is a popular pilgrimage site as its waters are believed to possess healing qualities.
Throughout his travels Bourne wrote about his first impressions of the places he visited and these writings were published in the British Journal of Photography. His first impressions of the temples at Baijnath were somewhat mixed: “…The next day I encamped at Byjnath, and lost no time in looking out at the temples of which I had heard. The first I came upon presented nothing worth the journey, and I was disappointed; but the second was a larger one, and possessed some features of interest. In the court surrounding the temple were two stone bullocks cut out of solid blocks, and evidently very ancient, as nothing but the general form remained - all the details and sharper features had yielded to the mutilating hand of Time. The portico of the temple was ornamented by sculptured figures representing the three incarnations of the Hindoo deity, Brahma, Seeva and Vishnu. I perceived that I should not be able to get a general view of the wall which surrounded it, so contented myself with a portion of it, and a view of the portico and one of the stone bullocks.” Bourne, S, Narrative of a Photographic Trip to Kashmir (Cashmere) and Adjacent Districts, The British Journal of Photography, 5 October 1866, p.475
Towards the end of the 1860s, Bourne established a partnership with fellow photographer and Englishman Charles Shepherd (fl. 1858-1878) and in the space of a few years Bourne & Shepherd became the pre-eminent photographic firm in India. By the end of 1870 they had three branches, in Simla, Calcutta and Bombay.
Samuel Bourne’s ability to combine technical skill and artistic vision has led to him being recognised today as one of the most outstanding photographers working in India in the nineteenth century.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Titles |
|
| Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion negative |
| Brief description | Photograph, 'Kangra, Very ancient Temple at Byjnath', albumen print, Samuel Bourne, India, 1860s |
| Physical description | The photograph shows a view of a temple. There are many carvings on the outer walls of the temple including a carved pilaster on the left side of the photograph. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | No longers bears a signature or negative number (presumably cropped). |
| Object history | This photograph was initially part of the photographic collection held in the National Art Library. The markings on the mount are an indication of the history of the object, its movement through the museum and the way it is categorised. The mount is grey/green. |
| Production | The negative was made in 1864. This print was made before March 1867. |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | In 1863 Samuel Bourne (1834-1912) arrived in India. He had left his job as a Nottingham bank clerk in order to develop a new career as a photographer. Bourne undertook three treks to Kashmir and the western Himalayas in 1863, 1864 and 1866, during which he photographed his surroundings extensively. He began his second trip to India, during which this photograph was taken, in March 1864. It was to be a nine-month expedition through the Kashmir region. This photograph shows the 13th-century temple at Baijnath (Byjnath), one of the best preserved Hindu stone temples in the Kangra Valley. Baijnath is about fifty kilometres from Dharamshala and is a popular pilgrimage site as its waters are believed to possess healing qualities. Throughout his travels Bourne wrote about his first impressions of the places he visited and these writings were published in the British Journal of Photography. His first impressions of the temples at Baijnath were somewhat mixed: “…The next day I encamped at Byjnath, and lost no time in looking out at the temples of which I had heard. The first I came upon presented nothing worth the journey, and I was disappointed; but the second was a larger one, and possessed some features of interest. In the court surrounding the temple were two stone bullocks cut out of solid blocks, and evidently very ancient, as nothing but the general form remained - all the details and sharper features had yielded to the mutilating hand of Time. The portico of the temple was ornamented by sculptured figures representing the three incarnations of the Hindoo deity, Brahma, Seeva and Vishnu. I perceived that I should not be able to get a general view of the wall which surrounded it, so contented myself with a portion of it, and a view of the portico and one of the stone bullocks.” Bourne, S, Narrative of a Photographic Trip to Kashmir (Cashmere) and Adjacent Districts, The British Journal of Photography, 5 October 1866, p.475 Towards the end of the 1860s, Bourne established a partnership with fellow photographer and Englishman Charles Shepherd (fl. 1858-1878) and in the space of a few years Bourne & Shepherd became the pre-eminent photographic firm in India. By the end of 1870 they had three branches, in Simla, Calcutta and Bombay. Samuel Bourne’s ability to combine technical skill and artistic vision has led to him being recognised today as one of the most outstanding photographers working in India in the nineteenth century. |
| Other number | 514 - Negative number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 52913 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | January 9, 2017 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
