Independent stories on India’s history, cities, culture, and people.
Join the Sunday letterPopular: Chandni Chowk · Jaipur · Shivaji Maharaj · Awadh
The Royal India Edition
History · 8 min read
In 1902, a Jaipur ruler crossed the seas with sacred water stored in two extraordinary silver vessels. The objects survive; the story behind them is even more remarkable.
Fresh from the desk
01
Delhi · Living heritage
Jahanara Begum’s carefully planned Mughal boulevard still carries four centuries of commerce, faith, memory, and reinvention.
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02
History · Maratha Empire
A daring exit from imperial confinement that changed the political imagination of an era.
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03
City · New Delhi
Colonial geometry, neon signs, old cinemas, and the daily theatre of India’s best-known urban circle.
↗Why we tell these stories
India is not one storyline. It is a million details—remembered, rebuilt, argued over, and passed on.
We follow the details that make familiar places feel new again.
Explore by place
Choose a region to browse stories shaped by its streets, architecture, rulers, communities, and everyday rituals.
Delhi / 04
Faith · Memory
A landmark where the noise of the bazaar gives way to reflection, service, and a difficult history.
Rajasthan / 07
Royal India · Objects
Sometimes an object is not a footnote to history. Sometimes it is the whole journey.
Maharashtra · People
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The Sunday Dispatch
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