We’re excited by this rediscovery of hundreds of prints, and thousands of images, that will shed light on and provide a rare glimpse into the history and development of Sikkim.

As we inventory the images, we’ve come across glass-plate negatives from the late 1890’s; albums from travels across Europe; magnificent scenes from the Delhi Durbars of 1903 and 1911;  medium format negatives from journeys across the Tibetan plateau in the early 1950s; portraits sent as mementos by friends and visitors such as Heinrich Harrer and Daw Khin Kyi; state dinners at Rashtrapati Bhavan with Rajendra Prasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, and a young Indira Gandhi; intimate shots of the royal family; and much more.

Over the course of the coming year we hope to be able to catalogue and digitise this uncovered treasure and give voice to the untold histories of one of India’s youngest states.