Reliving the Raj at the Imperial

The Imperial in New Delhi has a museum-quality collection of Colonial art, including works by Thomas and William Daniell. Ritika Kochhar walks you through the paintings, prints and memorabilia

The Body of Tippoo Sultan”, a print depicting Tipu Sultan on his deathbed, is located behind the reception

I have a history with The Imperial Hotel. My grandfather, a captain in the Indian army, brought his new wife from Lahore to stay at The Imperial in the early 1940s. A couple of nights at the hotel were all he could afford. The newly-settled capital of British India had only two luxury hotels - and The Imperial was where Jawaharlal Nehru had his suite and 13 countries had their embassies. It was part of living history.

When the British shifted their capital in 1911 and Edward Lutyens was asked to design New Delhi, he chose to build The Imperial at its heart. That's why it lay at the crossing of Kingsway and Queensway ceremonial boulevards. Since visiting dignitaries and official parties were hosted here, the interiors were as grand as the Viceroy's Palace - as the Rashtrapati Bhavan was known as at that time.

The viceroy's wife, Lady Willingdon, personally did the interiors and gave the place its name and its lion insignia. She planted the row of 24 royal palms flanking the entrance, set up two Italian marble shops, and brought European chandeliers, Persian rugs and Art Deco sculptures from Europe. She chose the best of colonial art including the works of Thomas and William Daniell, Johann Zoffany and Russian prince Aleksei Saltykov.

This collection of prints, engravings, lithographs, aquatints, mezzotints and painted photographs began 75 years ago. Today, The Imperial has over 5,000 artworks - from 17th century prints to a 20th century mural by Manjit Bawa. Some pieces, like the two rare Art Deco mirrors said to have been presented by King George V and Queen Mary in 1914, and a chair used during the coronation ceremony, were found in the basement when the hotel was renovated in 1996.

The art collection is spread across the hotel, including the seven restaurants. Each of the four wings has been converted into an art gallery featuring the works of different colonial artists.

Lutyens designed the Victorian gates and the massive bronze lions at the entrance. His "Design of the Universe" on the floor of the lobby is made with 926 pieces of marble. The corresponding 24-carat gold leaf version on the ceiling can be seen from all over the hotel.

On the left of the lobby is a staircase that winds upwards with exquisite prints of Mughal miniatures along its walls. The reception area is dedicated to successful British campaigns like the Lucknow campaign. Behind the reception is a print that depicts Tipu Sultan on his deathbed, surrounded by his family.

The lounge area is dedicated to the Anglo-Sikh wars and its heroes. There are also works depicting Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Sham Singh Attariwala. Past that, the corridor towards the restaurants has unusual prints showcasing the various religions practised in India during the 19th century, besides scenes from Indian durbars.

To the left of the main corridor is "The Atrium" that opens onto the bar, "Patiala Peg" (dedicated to the Maharaja of Patiala), and the restaurants, "Daniell's Tavern" and "Spice Route". Thomas and William Daniell's lithographs and antique etchings fill Daniell's Tavern. The South Asian restaurant next door, Spice Route, tells the story of Everyman's life. It took seven years to complete the restaurant designed by architect Rajeev Sethi. It has museum-quality interiors that include a mural by Manjit Bawa and frescoes by Kerala artist Suresh Muthukulam. The exit, interestingly, allows each person to emerge alone.

Once back in the corridor, towards the right, is the entrance to "1911", the restaurant and bar. You step past "Theocletia", a classical fountain designed by Lutyens that depicts the four major elements - fire, water, air and earth - imprisoned and doomed to count each falling drop till eternity. Beyond it is a collection of photographs and paintings that celebrate the Royal Durbar of King George V in 1911. Photographs and panoramas of the maharajas (and the Begum of Bhopal) at the durbar, the tented city set up at Coronation Park for the rulers and the British King and Queen arriving on elephants line the walls. The restaurant is filled with antiques.

A painting depicting the coronation ceremony displayed at 1911

At the end of the main corridor is a collection of painted photographs of British royalty as well as an Art Deco lift that probably dates back to the time the hotel was built.

On the first floor is a fine collection of Saltykov prints that show social scenes from India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 19th century. You then walk past works by architectural historian James Fergusson and Scottish poet and artist James Baillie Fraser to get to the Royal Ballroom. This has seven life-size oil paintings of the maharajas of several states including Rampore, Hyderabad, Gwalior and Jammu & Kashmir. And, it has an 8.8 foot by 19.7 foot oil painting of the "Darbar of Malerkotla". This is where the sense of history is most palpable. The main actors of the Independence movement met here. Even the call for the creation of Pakistan was raised in the Royal Ballroom.

M R Acharekar's drawings of Maulana Azad, Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, B R Ambedkar and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel accompany you as you walk down the staircase back to the main lobby.

As art critic Suneet Chopra puts it, "The hotel is a tribute to the technology that made art democratic. It shows the transition from painting to print and photographs. It also balances art and design to bring the distant past to the common man".

Love the Raj or hate it, at least The Imperial offers us the chance to enjoy it.