Govinda Ram Mittee's Pagoda, Calcutta, Thomas Daniell, August 1798

Plate 5 from the second set of thomas and william daniell's 'oriental scenery. ' the black pagoda, a shiva temple built in north calcutta around 1730 by the wealthy merchant govinda ram mitter, was perhaps never completely finished. The main tower collapsed some time around 1800, and only one of the smaller subsidiary shrines survives. The aquatint reproduces a scene set in the chitpore bazaar, with water buffalo swimming in the tank and huts with characteristic bengali curved eaves. The tank is for the ritual ablutions. Object Type: print. Date: August 1798. Place of creation: London. Dimensions: height: 54.6 cm (21.4 in); width: 74.7 cm (29.4 in). Medium: aquatint print coloured. Depicted Place: Kolkata. Collection: British Library. Oriental Scenery Part 2 Fig 5