FOUNDATION FOR INDIC PHILOSOPHY AND CULTURE

Deepak Shimkhada’s passion for photography began in his youth. During high school, his older brother gifted him a box camera, sparking his interest in black-and-white photography. Over time, his collection of photographs grew. In the 1970s, as color photography became more accessible, he transitioned to a 35mm SLR camera, capturing vivid color images.

This site houses Shimkhada’s private collection of images, which includes photographs spanning decades—from the 1950s onward. The collection is categorized into two main groups:

1. Environmental Photography: Images of people, and landscapes.

2. Art and Cultural Objects: Photos of paintings, sculptures, architecture, and decorative arts such as pottery, terracotta, jewelry, textiles, rugs, and ritual objects.

Shimkhada studied at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Baroda, India, from 1962 to 1971. During this time, he traveled extensively across India, documenting archaeological and historical sites. In 1979, he was awarded a fellowship by the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) to conduct field research for his Ph.D. dissertation. This work included photographing Buddhist and Hindu artifacts from museums, libraries, galleries, and private collections across India. While many images in this collection have been identified, some remain unidentified. We invite students, scholars, and visitors to assist in identifying these images by leaving comments. Your contributions will help us enhance our archive. Thank you for exploring the collection!