Festivals and Films

Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts

From 09 Oct 2009 to 16 Jan 2010

10 October 2009 - 17 January 2010. Bringing together over 250 treasures, and spanning the period from the 18th century to the mid-20th century, this exhibition lives up to its splendid title. It charts the princely world of the 'maharaja' whose rise to glory coincided with the collapse of the Mughal empire in the early 18th century. The exhibition examines their changing role within Indian society and documents their generous patronage of the arts in India and Europe, with stunning examples on loan from India's royal collections. The exhibition concludes with the ending of British rule in 1947, when the maharajas acceded their territories into the modern states of India and Pakistan.

10.00-17.30