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South India
A journey through the temples of Tamil Nadu via Kerala to spectacular ceremonies and processions in Mysuru and Hyderabad.
In Tamil Nadu we watch Chennai’s remarkable temple car festival in 1932, see an extraordinary early colour film shot near Puducherry in 1914 and explore the temple architecture of Madurai. There’s colour footage of dancers in Thiruvananthapuram, a visit to the Jewish quarter of Kochi before heading north to watch spectacular processions in Mysuru, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The collection includes films from Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Villenour. (French India: Territory of Pondicherry)Villenour. (French India: Territory of Pondicherry)
Travelogue 1914 4 minsSilent
Gorgeously dreamlike colour images of (then) French India – present-day Puducherry
Uti 1925Uti 1925
Amateur film 1925 15 minsSilent
Snapshots of colonial life around Tamil Nadu, plus a visit to the Toda tribe
Sir John Laing Missionary Films Madras & CeylonSir John Laing Missionary Films Madras & Ceylon
Amateur film 1947 18 minsSilent
Rare amateur footage of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka
Houseboating in WaltairHouseboating in Waltair
Amateur film 1926 13 minsSilent
The Uzielli family takes to the water in Visakhapatnam, southern India
Dancers at Trivandrum GopinathDancers at Trivandrum Gopinath
Amateur film 1946 7 minsSilent
Kathakali performance featuring the great Indian dancer Guru Gopinath, filmed in remarkable colour by ‘envoy of the Raj’ Clarmont Skrine
Cochin and MalaraxCochin and Malarax
Amateur film 1930 18 minsSilent
Amateur film capturing life and buildings in and around Kochi, in Kerala, south-west India.
Street Scenes in India: Colonel Alexander Personal Film 1Street Scenes in India: Colonel Alexander Personal Film 1
Amateur film 1935 9 minsSilent
From the arrival of a new viceroy to street markets, this amateur film captures the diversity of life in colonial India
A Day at St. Christopher College and School (Madurai)A Day at St. Christopher College and School (Madurai)
Documentary 1920 18 minsSilent
Behind the scenes at a Chennai teachers training college
Through Fires of PersecutionThrough Fires of Persecution
Documentary drama 1935 20 minsSilent
A highly unusual docudrama, set in Tiruchirappalli, South India and filmed by a Methodist minister.
Mysore - Farming Scenes, Dussehra Festival and Mysore ZooMysore - Farming Scenes, Dussehra Festival and Mysore Zoo
Amateur film 1940 16 minsSilent
Two sides of Mysore (now Mysuru): down to earth with the field workers and an Indian spectacle for the Maharaja
Edward Prince of Wales' Tour of India: Madras. Bangalore, Mysore and HyderabadEdward Prince of Wales' Tour of India: Madras. Bangalore, Mysore and Hyderabad
Travelogue 1922 18 minsSilent
This official travelogue of a royal tour follows the Prince on a series of regimental displays and a tiger hunt.
Temples of IndiaTemples of India
Travelogue 1938 10 mins
Technicolor temple tour shot by the great Jack Cardiff
An Indian ScrapbookAn Indian Scrapbook
Documentary 1941 11 mins
Film star Sabu fronts this novelty travelogue.
Temples of South IndiaTemples of South India
Travelogue 1944 7 mins
South India's extraordinary 16th century Meenakshi temple town in Madurai, seat of an ancient civilisation
Fighting Leprosy in India The Work of DichpaliFighting Leprosy in India The Work of Dichpali
Documentary 1945 15 minsSilent
The work of southern India’s remarkable lepers' home, founded by Dr Isabel Kerr
Madras Mylapore - Tank and Religious ProcessionsMadras Mylapore - Tank and Religious Processions
Amateur film 1932 10 minsSilent
The thronging streets of Chennai in festive mood are captured by this lively amateur film
Chief Guide at Hyderabad RallyChief Guide at Hyderabad Rally
Amateur film 1937 2 minsSilent
Girl guides on parade at a rally in southern India attended by Olave Baden-Powell
The Work of the LMS in the Ministry of Healing. Scenes in Neyyoor. No.16The Work of the LMS in the Ministry of Healing. Scenes in Neyyoor. No.16
Documentary 15 minsSilent
The medical work of the London Missionary Society in various parts of India, Madagascar and elsewhere
Madras: The Grange, AdyarMadras: The Grange, Adyar
Amateur film 1929 18 minsSilent
Amateur film of colonial Madras (now Chennai)
Our Greatest AmbassadorOur Greatest Ambassador
Non-Fiction 1922 33 minsSilent
Richly detailed record of the Prince of Wales' Indian tour, 1921-22.
Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.1Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.1
Amateur film 1929 4 minsSilent
Graphic images of the Muslim sect’s self-mutilation practices, filmed in late-1920s India.
Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.2Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.2
Amateur film 1929 3 minsSilent
More glimpses of the Muslim sect’s self-mutilation practices, filmed in late-1920s India
Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.3Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.3
Amateur film 1930 3 minsSilent
Further scenes of the Muslim sect’s self-mutilation practices, filmed in late-1920s India
Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.4Rafai Fakirs, Hyderabad - No.4
Amateur film 1930 3 minsSilent
Last of a series of films graphically depicting the Muslim sect’s self-mutilation practices in late-1920s India