Yashaswini Chandra @Yashaswini_Ch Twitter profile | Pikagi

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Yashaswini Chandra

@Yashaswini_Ch

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Lecturer in South Asian Art History @EdinburghUni . Author of The Tale of the Horse: A History of India on Horseback @PanMacIndia @HhouseBooks .

Edinburgh/India

https://t.co/oMByr7d0sz

Joined September 2019

Don't wanna be here? Send us removal request.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

7 months

We are organising a special event on 30 April 24 to showcase the marvellous but relatively unknown South Asian art collection of @EdinburghUni 🐘 For people interested in South Asia and/or its arts, it's free and open to all but you have sign up. Pls do come!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The 1st Indian to qualify for the Olympics in equestrian sports in 2 decades, Fouaad Mirza, is descended on his father’s side from an Iranian horse trader who migrated to India 7 generations ago. His family’s horsey history is in The Tale of the Horse. With his horse Mickey!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

I thought my quota of miracles was up when I got funding to do my PhD at SOAS. But it turns out that miracles happen in pairs, & I landed the job of my dreams, as Lecturer in South Asian Art History @EdiArtHistory @eca_edinburgh in the University of Edinburgh. I begin in Spring!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The historical horse culture of India & related equestrian sports (or their forms) declined with colonial rule. Modern equestrian sports like eventing have deep roots in Europe but aren't big here. For Fouaad Mirza to make it this far on his Olympic debut is a huge achievement👏

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

11 months

How do you know you are back in Delhi? You visit the Qutb Minar and drink a rose-infused gin & tonic 🩷 Nothing like a winter afternoon in Delhi (if you can overlook the pollution).

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

In spite of their declining fortunes, the later Mughals continued to have equestrian portraits of themselves made, in the manner of their great ancestors. Here Shah Alam II rides a beautiful grey stallion. Collection of @mfaboston

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

This 'Moorish Mosque' was built by the Francophile Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. The inauguration plaque reads that 'the existence of this mosque will bear an enduring testimony to [HH's] broadminded tolerance and solicitude for the welfare of his subjects.'

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

History tells us that grand building projects are often the last gasp of a dying regime - New Delhi itself.

@iamrana

Rana Safvi رعنا राना

3 years

New building coming up. On a priority

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

One of my favourite paintings, a Pahari one, from @NMnewdelhi . A beautiful young mother looks at her reflection in the mirror and does her toilette as her child tries to get her attention.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

Arab horse dealers in #Bombay in late 19th century. #ThehorseinIndia

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

At a time when most people pass time mindlessly scrolling through their phones (& cultivating ADD), this ASI caretaker spends his reading tomes under the dome under his watch. I had peak & he also has good taste.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Guess who returned to the Lucknow racecourse to add lustre to proceedings? The horseman from Mirzapur @alifazal9

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

11 months

Preparing for the last class on my course on Empire. It's on the imperial capital of New Delhi – I'm reminded of the 3 years I spent on the President's Estate, managing a documentation project. Here's a photo by Narendra Bisht from the project. Source: Life at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

Every time I drive from Dehradun to Lucknow down the long road along the Terai, I step back in time.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

A mural painting from the Alchi monastery in Ladakh depicting a Kashmiri king and his retinue out on a hunt. The painting is a detail of a dhoti worn by a gigantic statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara! Photo by Jaroslav Poncar.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

A beauty stands on a swing that hangs from a fruiting, flowering tree under a dark, stormy sky. Such 'monsoon' paintings were pregnant with anticipation as men returned home at the end of the campaign season & couples were reunited. Pahari painting, 18th cent. From @metmuseum

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The vivid blue skies of his beloved Jodhpur will always remind me of my friend Karni Singh Jasol, the brilliant director of Mehrangarh Museum Trust. He died in a tragic car accident on Monday. It's impossible to imagine the fort or the city without his larger-than-life presence.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Fishing through old hard disks for my PhD abstract, I came across these photos of me interviewing the great art historian Ebba Koch against the backdrop of Humayun's tomb. I was still a wonder-eyed PhD student then, wearing chinar leaves in her honour, & she was just marvellous.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

Writing about horse traders in Rajasthan and marvelling at the wonderful portraits taken by @dineshkhanna at Pushkar and Ajmer.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

11 months

I introduced Prof. B.N. Goswamy, the great art historian of India, at the last JLF. I couldn't have known then that I would never see him again & my only consolation is that I had the chance to pay my tribute to him: He gave us new ways of thinking, seeing & even feeling . . .

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

So cocks, elephants, & dogs (?) were not the only animals made to fight in India. Here's a rare record of clashing stallions from 19th-century Kota, Rajasthan. In the collection of @V_and_A

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Oh girls just wanna have fun! 'Girls Spraying Each Other at Holi', Bikaner, c. 1640–50, @ClevelandArt . Happy Holi!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

The magical @iamrana sent me this exquisite glass flask from her travels: Of Egyptian or Syrian heritage, from c. 1300, it is painted with male & female polo players in enamel & gold. What a decanter! Collection: Museum für Islamische Kunst, Pergamon Museum.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

And the gift horses keep coming – this image from the mighty @DalrympleWill . The Safavid painting, from the Houghton Shahnameh, features Rustam's marvellous stallion, Rakhsh. He's the dappled dun horse in front, as his coat was supposed to be the red & gold of rose & saffron.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

I may be the last to arrive at my own party, among the last to receive advance copies in India - but what a thrill to receive a stack of my first book! Thanks to my agent @DGALitAgents , editor @TeestaGuha & publisher @PanMacIndia from the bottom of my horsey heart ❤️

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

Another oil painting by Thomas Hickey produced in the aftermath of Tipu's fall in the Rashtrapati Bhavan collection - 'Portrait of Krishnaraja Wadiar III', 1801. From the book The Arts and Interiors of Rashtrapati Bhavan: Lutyens and Beyond.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

Shah Jahan's boys: Who would have thought looking at this youthful portrait of brothers-in-arms that it would all end in blood & tears? #Mughal painting by Balchand, c. 1635. From the @V_and_A

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

Such police thanas & dak bungalows still do exist, that too in pleasing pink...

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Delighted to receive my contributor's copy of this super handy volume, exploring Hindu architecture in India across different styles & regions, elite & folk patronage, ritual & pilgrimage. More than a decade in the making, it really is a wide-ranging & comprehensive work.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Cornell University's collection of photos by Robert MacDougall, Beyond the Taj: Architecture & the Landscape Experience in South Asia, isn't only a fantastic resource but includes atmospheric photos of India of another time, while he also seems to have had a spot spot for horses!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

This painting has been tentatively identified as a retrospective of the ill-fated #Mughal prince Dara Shikoh & his beloved wife Nadira Banu. One of my students was struck by the difference b/w the pearls of the man & the woman! Jaipur, 18th c. The David Collection, Copenhagen

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

Oil painting of Mysore's Ghulam Ali Khan by Thomas Hickey, 1801, Rashtrapati Bhavan collection, New Delhi. Photo by Anil Luthra, published in The Arts and Interiors of Rashtrapati Bhavan: Lutyens and Beyond.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The Mughal worldview is captured and shaped in painting – and I can't wait to be in conversation with the wonderful @Ursula_Weekes about her work on Mughal portraiture and her upcoming book. Do come & watch our session at JLF 22 in the Baithak today at 1pm.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

JLF 22 came to an end and the lovely staff of the hotel asked me to plant a tree 🍀🤍 What a blast the festival was after three bleak years of the pandemic!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The blue arches and windows of the mosques of Arakkal, Kannur.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

Super grateful to @DalrympleWill for the thumping endorsement written in his inimitable style. Saddling the horse for a January kickoff!

@DalrympleWill

William Dalrymple

4 years

Just finished the proof of a spectacular non-fiction debut, full of wit and brilliance, The Tale of the Horse- A History of India on horseback by Yashaswini Chandra. 1/3

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

'EIC school' painting of mainly Afghan horse traders, collection of Prince & Princess Sadruddin Aga Khan. Key chapters of The Tale of the Horse cover the historical links enabled by the overland trade in horses from Central Asia to India & the role of Afghans entrepreneurs.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The Lucknow racecourse at its picturesque best on a rainy day.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

Horses can take you where you’d never get in any other way and I hope this tale does too. It has been a long time coming but what a wonderful ride it has been!

@PanMacIndia

Pan Macmillan India

4 years

Happy Publication Day to @Yashaswini_Ch and her exceptional debut THE TALE OF THE HORSE: A HISTORY OF INDIA ON HORSEBACK! Out now on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Go ahead and show us some horse love! 🐎

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

On a winding road to Mussoorie, stands a sprawling colonial house, Sikander Hall, built by the descendents of the Anglo-Indian cavalry officer James Skinner, founder of the legendary Skinner's Horse, aka Sikander Sahib.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

One of the many joys of being an art historian is all the places you get to go to. I had the most perfect little jaunt to the spectacular Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal to delve into the Indian connections of the latter (once owned by Lord Ripon).

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

The baby Krishna demands the moon and his mother offers him a reflection 💕

@dpanikkar

Don't Panik

2 years

@Chemburstudio @harvartmuseums @DalrympleWill @ssharadmohhan @Peachtreespeaks @SupriyaUnniNair @katherineschof8 @bombaywalee @PunjabiRooh @abhiertigibbet @SmitaRays @shada_islam @AhmedSikeena @SheerinTO @Ritiks @SupriyaJaan @hemantsarin @BLAsia_Africa @ambrin_hayat On that theme, from Guler, dated 1820, at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

Who knew that there’s a delightful little racecourse in Lucknow where deer come to graze when the horses are in their stables? I promptly made an offering of my horsey book.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

What a sweet painting of a lovely little pied myna by Abil Khan, an Indian artist working for British patrons during the Company period. Calcutta, c. 1810, collection: @LACMA

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

Another fabulous #Mughal hookah. Do the golden poppy plants on the main body indicate that it was used for smoking opium in stylish Mughal mehfils? From the Cleveland Museum of Art.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

Short 🧵on the Indian 🐘. It was a powerful symbol of Indian kingship since ancient times. Descriptions of battles are littered with the names of actual elephants that stole the show. Portraits were also made of prize specimens such as this little masterpiece in @CRC_EdUni ...

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Our cow had a female calf of half-Sahiwal breed. In honour of her Punjabi-Sindhi heritage, I named the calf Sohni (of Sohni–Mahiwal fame). And she does have the most wistful eyes 🥹

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

Visit Jabberkhet, north India's first private reserve forest, near Mussoorie, for walks through thickets of grey oak and rhododendron trees and sweeping views of the central Himalayan snowline.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

A man of the mountains and his companions: Gaddi shepherds on stony mountainous tracts in Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The inimitable @alifazal9 presides over the Lucknow racecourse! @TeestaGuha we must send a copy of the book to our horseman from Mirzapur.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

Exciting new job alert for curators & historians of South Asian art 📣: The National Trust is looking for a National Collector of South Asian Collections to work on houses such as Powis Castle & Kedleston Hall to unpack their complex legacies. .

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

The place to be for Eid! From ours to yours, Eid Mubarak 🤍

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

What is more cheering than waking up to parrots squawking from trees? In Indian lore and literature, these birdies are arbiters of wisdom, as in the eponymous Tutinama, & messengers of love, as in the epic of Pabuji. EIC school painting, c. 1820, collection: @ClevelandArt

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

This fabulous painting of Maharaja Man Singh of Jodhpur-Marwar playing polo with women of his household is one of the highlights of my book!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

More importantly, it's said to be discovered by Bucephalus, the horse of Alexander the Great!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

My friends continue to send me gifts of horses. In the latest, @ParshatiDutta sent me this image of a fabulous polychrome tile featuring a 'flying' blue horse from the early 13th century from Kubadabad Palace near Konya in Turkey.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

"Merkel made no specific announcements and called for no nationwide curfews or additional closures. Yet what gave her address its force was her tone, which was direct, honest, and searingly empathic."

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

And with that ended, my year of the horse... Happy New Year 🤠

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

This stunning chess set made of ivory & bone from c. 1899–1905, Murshidabad (now in WB, India) is one of the many colonial treasures in Kedleston House. The National Trust is hiring a National Curator of South Asian Collections to work on the contested histories of such houses 🧵

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

The road to Paonta Sahib: The town was founded by the 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Govind Singhji, on the bank of the Yamuna, surrounded by sal forests in the Himalayan foothills, after his horse stopped there. The horse always knows.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Bikaner once lay on the caravan route to Pugal & onto Bhawalpur & Multan, leading to Afghanistan & beyond. The local, 'Marwari', bankers & merchants who controlled the trade that passed through the region used their wealth to build such amazing havelis. 📷 @dineshkhanna .

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

This stunning 30.60-carat Colombian emerald inscribed with the full title of Shah Jahan was sold this year by Chirstie's for USD 500,000! Less enamoured of 'insipid' diamonds, the #Mughals coveted coloured stones such as emeralds, rubies & spinels.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

“The experience of this nameless woman, dumped in a strange country in June 1908, may be shocking, but she was not exceptional. She was one of hundreds, perhaps thousands of ayahs”

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

What a list! I can't believe I have been longlisted by such a formidable jury that puts me in the company of the finest of scholars.

@karwaanheritage

Karwaan: The Heritage Exploration Initiative

@karwaanheritage

2 years

#LONGLIST 2022: Karwaan Book Prize Karwaan is delighted to announce the Longlist for this year’s #KarwaanBookPrize . It is awarded annually to recognise the outstanding scholarship on the History of Indian Subcontinent. Stay Tune for the #Shortlist Announcement!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Writing about the colonial world of hill stations & tea gardens in the eastern Himalayas, I'm struck by all the evocations of the mighty Kangchenjunga. Here is a view by the pre-Raphaelite artist Edward Lear in the spirit of the sublime. 1879, Yale Center of British Art.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

There is something so wonderfully distinctive & stylised about the 'Kashmiri school of sculpture' that flourished from circa 8th century to the 12th high up in the Himalayas. Here are a couple of masterpieces from the @ClevelandArt representing Durga as Mahisasuramardini & Shiva.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

The light in Edinburgh is such a delight.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

No beauties like the ladies from Khajuraho. This one steals the spotlight in the @NtlMuseumsScot .

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The desert 'is a site of wildness & madness...the place of lovers...a place of joy & gladness', said Khwaja Farid. & Dhola-Maru is one of the epic romances of the western desert frontier. In this painting from @FortMehrangarh , Dhola & Maru reunite with the help of a camel.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

For a lighter, brighter horse, do pick up The Tale of the Horse in paperback. I'm thrilled it has made it this far and, once again, grateful to my wonderful publisher @PanMacIndia and agent @DGALitAgents .

@PanMacIndia

Pan Macmillan India

2 years

THE TALE OF THE HORSE: A History of India on Horseback, @Yashaswini_Ch 's magnificent debut, is out now in paperback! History lovers, horsey readers, what are you waiting for?! Pick up a copy here or from a bookstore near you!🐎

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

A winged horse of heaven, reminiscent of the legend of the celestial origins of horses, from the Satavahana period (1st-3rd century). Collection of Bangalore Government Museum. PC: @DalrympleWill

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

A women plays idly with a ball to pass time. 18th century. From the Chamba Bhuri Singh Museum. #WesternHimalayas

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

This hookah was used in #Mughal male gatherings where poetry was recited. It is incised with lines from Nizami's Khamsa, as well as a description of the hookah, likening it to an uncomplaining servant who will accept burning embers from his master. From Cleveland Museum of Art

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

The Shiva Temple at Bajaura in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. The river goddess Yamuna on her mount, the tortoise, on the entrance.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

How did Rajasthan become the most renowned of India's horse territories & Chetak our most famous horse? Do attend my session today with the magnificent Dr Rima Hooja on Maharana Pratap & Chetak at JLF 22 in the Durbar Hall at 3pm. Photos from Pushkar 2017 by @dineshkhanna 🌞

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

The Mughals knew what they were talking about if they waxed eloquent about shab-i Malwa, as is said. Nowhere is the magic of Malwi nights more acute than in the environs of the fittingly called Shadiabad, better known as Mandu.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

His & Her Horses: This princely couple have dismounted from their horses & retreated into a bower for a romantic tryst. Collection of @FortMehrangarh #Rajasthan

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

& they are off! It has been gratifying to follow the trail of the horse through the Indian landscape & trace its enduring hoofprints. My debut book on this most magnificent of creatures is an exercise in history writing but also an act of love.

@PanMacIndia

Pan Macmillan India

4 years

Thrilled to announce that @Yashaswini_Ch 's exceptional and groundbreaking debut THE TALE OF THE HORSE: A HISTORY OF INDIA ON HORSEBACK finally leaves the stables on 22 January! This masterpiece of history writing can be pre-ordered here: @DGALitAgents

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The sublime face of a youthful Lord Surya, representative of the slow-burning morning sun. 11th century, Bhopal State Museum.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

The Pre-Columbian collection at the National Museum in New Delhi is one of its best-kept secrets. Few people realise what a treasure trove it is – donated by Nasli Heeramaneck, the legendary Indian American art collector, to encourage comparative studies within the global south.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Fascinating depictions of different animals in the 'Gazi' pata (scroll) painting dated to c. 1800 from Murshidabad in the British Museum – a reflection of life in/around the Sundarban mangrove forest in Bengal.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

One of my favourite Mughal paintings, in which Shah Jahan ties a sehra (veil) of pearls, emeralds & rubies around Dara Shukoh's face before the prince's wedding! Shah Jahan had worn the same veil as a prince at his own wedding to Dara's mother, Mumtaz Mahal ❤️

@EnrouteH

Anoushka Jain

2 years

Title:Shah-Jahan honouring Prince Dara-Shukoh at his wedding (12 February 1633) Artist: Bulaqi Date: c. 1635 - 1650 Medium: Painting in opaque watercolour and gold on paper Source: Royal Collection Trust #FathersDay #FathersDay2022 #fatherhood @JAJafri @fzhassan @quizzicalguy

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The award finally went to the highly deserving Farah Bashir. But 3 out of 4 books on the shortlist were published by @PanMacIndia & steered by @TeestaGuha . So here's to her for championing women debut authors, often working on offbeat topics, with imagination & integrity.

@TOI_Books

TOI Books

3 years

The shortlist of #AutHerAwards 2022 is now out! Congratulations to all authors shortlisted for @AutherAwards - Best Debut category. @VinitaNangia @JKPaperIndia

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

This gorgeous 19th-century manuscript from Rajasthan on horses was one of the Indian treasures showcased at the recent Sotheby's auction.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

Incredible how gins are still named to evoke different colonial associations with G&Ts – polo in Jodhpur, pig-sticking in Jaisalmer & elephant hunts in the Terai, for example. In contrast to the spirit of shikar tales from the Raj is the earthier Rampur whiskey!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

I found a pony and finally felt like I had arrived in Scotland!

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

"He has refused the place in the penumbra that our divided society would relegate him to, in order to claim a place in the spotlight of the cameras." Chandrashekhar’s azadi with swag: The fabulous mystique of the Bhim Army chief via @scroll_in

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

Such Mughal jaalis were added as ornamentation to 'Indianise' the Palladian architecture of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, formerly the Viceroy's House, designed by Edwin Lutyens. PC: Joginder Singh for @Sahapedia #RashtrapatiBhavan #Indiandesign

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

The fort of Raisen loomed over an ancient trading route through Vidisha from the early medieval period. It assimilates different phases of construction & includes imposing gateways, an original temple, & a high Mughal mosque & baradaris.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

"[Modi is] a profoundly vain man, a publicity hound who craves international attention and respectability. So [Western] condemnation now may well make a difference."

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

The Shortest History of India is a must for anyone looking for a well-told & insightful overview. Thank you @PanMacIndia & @TeestaGuha for my copy. We are making the most of it! The cover is rather pleasing too, matching the brilliant colours of the post-monsoon foliage.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

1 year

This blue & white ceramic flask from Jaipur is incredibly enough painted with a tiger hunt by/from an elephant & a deer hunt from horseback. It might have been 'picnic ware' for hunts or may reflect the general fetishisation of the hunt. 19th century, National Museum, New Delhi.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

3 years

Struck by the association of power & refinement with women falconing on horseback that are common to both these images from completely different contexts –Mary of Burgundy & Chand Bibi of Ahmednagar. The main difference is of course the seats of the women.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

This most beautiful of Himalayan goddesses is a form of Tara unique to the Alchi monastery in Ladakh, who was meant to help patrons, travellers & pilgrims surmount obstacles & endow them with wealth. PC: Jaroslav Poncar. #WesternHimalayas #Indianart

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

11 months

For all its qualities, Mughal painting is not known for its depiction of the underclass. The major exceptions being Bhil hunters, ascetics & mystics. This intriguing painting by Mir Kalan Khan, c. 1770–5, depicts the nocturnal activities of Kanphata yogis. In @NatGalleriesSco ,

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

'Given the storied history of the horse in Indian culture, it is fitting that the last great artist to commemorate it on canvas was M.F. Husain. His iconic paintings encapsulate the enduring imprint of the horse on the Indian imagination long after mechanization had eclipsed it.'

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

5 years

Inspired by Deen Dayal's 1890 photo of a caravanserai in Maharashtra, sharing a photo of the interiors of one in #Mandu (Malwa), Madhya Pradesh. Some of the trees at Mandu are supposed to be 500 years old. #caravanserais @PicsSilkRoad @yannth2

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

2 years

While my multi-talented editor @TeestaGuha fixed horse-racing cocktails for me, her cats showed up for her and played to the gallery.

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@Yashaswini_Ch

Yashaswini Chandra

4 years

By way of 'horse appreciation', a friend shared his photo of horses on the Mall in Shimla. Parked in the mountains, these horses with their twirly ears seem to be Marwari, even Kathiawari ones - such beauties ❤️ Photo by Siddharth Pandey.

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