Rajasthan photography 1920

Alwar (Rajasthan) circa 1920, Studio Chiranjilal - Sons, studio stamp on the back. Vintage silver print on agfa Brovira paper representing a group in front of a tazzia. The standing figure on the left, with a turban, is maharajah Jai Singh who ruled Alwar at the time of the photo. Tazzias are ephemeral architectures mounted on a light structure, usually bamboo, an ancient tradition that is still very much alive today. Each district builds its own model that will rival the others in a parade through the city during Muharram, the Shiite festival of the first month of the Muslim calendar.