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Courting India: Photography by Arko Datto

A special photography commission created in partnership with Panos Pictures, a photo agency specialising in global social issues.

About the Commission

Arko Datto, a visual artist and photographer who lives in Kolkata, spent a month travelling across India to many of the locations that are central to 'Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire' by Professor Nandini Das.

Night scene of a busy street in an urban area with a distinctive traditional architectural structure in the center, surrounded by modern buildings and lit shops.
Historic kabutarkhana/pigeon home illuminated by a passing motorcycle in the historic town of Rander beside Surat. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.

'Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire' won the British Academy Book Prize in 2023, a prize that rewards and celebrates books that explore other cultures and their interactions.​

During a wedding procession, a woman in traditional attire interacts with another individual carrying a large pot amidst street vendors.
A lady bearing lights at a wedding procession in Pushkar organises the flow of traffic. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.

'Courting India' is a ground-breaking new history of one of the most important encounters in the history of colonialism. It tells the story of the arrival of English ambassador Thomas Roe in India in the early 17th century, an event which marked the very beginnings of Anglo-Indian history. ​

Group of people gathered at an outdoor event near a historic structure at dusk, with some wearing traditional attire.
Outside the Adhai Din ki Jhopri Mosque in Ajmer. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
Decorative frame with fabric flowers on top positioned on a beach, framing a view of the ocean under a colourful sunset sky.
Suvali Beach, where the British won the decisive Battle of Suvali against the Portuguese navy. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
This book is... not a biography of Roe, or a history of the English in India, or an account of English engagement with the wider world beyond Jacobean London, but the story it tells emerges from the intersection of all three.

- Nandini Das, 'Courting India', xxiv.

Arko Datto photographed several of the places central to Thomas Roe's travels, discovered by Nandini Das through the painstaking examination of centuries-old records.​
Two people are sitting atop an old wall, engaging in conversation under moonlight, surrounded by rustic surroundings.
The historic city walls around Surat. A half buried archway lies in disrepair amidst garbage thrown from nearby apartment buildings. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
Antique map of Northern India, featuring historic place names and ornate illustrations, with colourful detailing and geographical features.
'A Description of East India Contenying th'Empire of the Great Mogoll' (London, 1619). Known as 'Sir Thomas Roe's Map', this early depiction of East India was created by Arctic explorer and surveyor William Baffin (1584?-1621) who used information collected from Thomas Roe during their voyage back to England in 1619. The document would form the basis of English maps of India for the next century and even contains Jahangir’s genealogical seal in the top right-hand corner.
These photographs invite the observer to consider the origins of the Mughal Empire through the modern lens, extending the conversation started by this remarkable book into an entirely new way of seeing the impact of a complex history.​
Group of people playing Kabbadi in front of the Fatehpur Sikri, India, at sunset.
A game of Kabbadi at the Fatehpur Sikri Jama Masjid. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
In Arko Datto’s arresting photographs, the historical and the contemporary collide.​
​
Nighttime scene in a bustling urban area with a historic stone structure, people interacting near small shops, and various transport modes including a tuk-tuk and a bike cart.
Fort ruins adapted into a modern dwelling in Burhanpur. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
Night view of Fort Boyard with illuminated beacon, surrounded by sea, under a clear sky with glowing horizon lights in the distance.
Fortifications in the sea that resemble a giant ship in Diu. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
…if there is one thing that following Roe's story in India illuminates, it is the messiness of human experience and memory. It is a reminder of how contact and interchange between cultures can happen often almost despite itself.

- Nandini Das, 'Courting India', p. 364.

We see the ancient remains of those magnificent buildings of the Mughal Empire – which extended from the 16th to the 19th centuries – and are invited to look at the places that Thomas Roe would have encountered on that first diplomatic mission, and society’s relationship with them today. ​
Person sitting on a brick wall, gazing at a vast landscape with dark clouds overhead, near the historic Fatehpur Sikri in India.
Darkening skies at the ruins of Fatehpur Sikri. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.

Arko Datto explains his approach

“Nandini’s opus covers a wide geographic swath across west and north India, spanning historic centres of power from the Mughal and pre-British Raj era. Some of these places like Burhanpur and Mandu have been relegated to the margins while others like Ajmer, Surat and Agra live on as fast-growing yet tier-2 cities in present day India.
Nighttime view of Feroz Shah Kotla Fort with illuminated surroundings and a distinct rocky formation resembling a large arch at the top.
A window stands tall in these ruins in Fatehpur Sikri. The surroundings have turned into a ravine after people took out the soil to construct homes. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
“Staying close to Nandini’s cartography, I wanted to look at how these places fare currently, thus mapping a trajectory from the historical to the contemporary. Each of these places have ample Imperial ruins including city fortifications, monuments, individual tombs, cemeteries scattered throughout.
Ruins of an ancient structure with a domed tower near a water body, captured at dusk.
Mughal ruins in Agra, on the banks of the River Yamuna. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
"While some sites are well preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), many among these have been swallowed up by relentless urban expansion. Yet other ‘unlisted monuments’ lie in varying states of disrepair and neglect. It is these latter sites that form the core of my visual exploration.
Children and adults playing and walking in an open area surrounded by old buildings and vehicles in a busy community setting.
A game of cricket around the Akbari Sarai ruins in Burhanpur. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
An individual rides a scooter in front of a row of colourful, time-worn buildings in an urban setting during sunset.
Street scene in the historic town of Rander. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
“Many of the images feature compositional elements inspired by Mughal miniature painting traditions, bringing a contemporary perspective to this age-old art form.
Two people sitting and talking in a serene, shaded area with old, weathered arches and dense foliage in the background.
Diamond industry workers on their lunch break, sitting on a grave in the British cemetery in Surat. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
“While trawling the internet for clues and mining Google Maps, I often stumbled upon tombs hidden within forests or amidst agricultural lands near nondescript villages along highways. In Kashmir, I trekked from mountain tops down to riverbeds, where I found nomadic families lingering among the ruins.
A family of six standing in front of an ancient stone arch with lush greenery and distant snow-capped mountains.
A family from the nomadic Gujar community, in front of the Sukh Sarai monument on the Mughal road to Kashmir. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
Two people standing under the arches of a dilapidated brick structure, surrounded by lush green foliage.
Gurmeet Singh and his wife amidst the ruins of the historic Mughal Sarai of Shadimarg along the Mughal Road used by Mughal Emperors to come to Kashmir. They were returning from their agricultural fields adjacent to the Mughal Sarai. Their home is within the premises of the Mughal Sarai and they are awaiting rehabilitation from the Government to relocate once restoration of the historical monument begins. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
"In the ancient royal city of Mandu, I was struck by the eerie atmosphere of some ruins, only to later discover that Mandu regularly features on lists of the most haunted sites in the country.
Overgrown ruins of a historical stone structure covered in lush greenery, under a cloudy sky.
An ancient tomb in Mandu. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
“I delved into Mughal serais and other caravan serais scattered across the region, often in remote areas. These serais served an essential purpose in the functioning of empires, serving as strategic resting places during military campaigns, royal pilgrimage, and for businessmen, commoners, and aristocrats alike.
A person stands in front of an ancient stone wall inside the ruins of a village.
Sarai ruins at Sarai village, Haryana. A man has been working to repair the walls so they don't collapse onto his home. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
People participating in prayer in a mosque, which features vibrant blue and green light projections creating an illuminated archway over the mihrab.
Worshippers at the historic Adhai Din ji Jhopri Mosque in Ajmer. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
“Looking at these magnificent tombs and palaces of once powerful people brought to complete ruins was a humbling experience. I wanted to visually represent the idea of the twilight of empires, both Mughal and British, and consequently used dusk and night photography quite frequently in this project.
Nighttime scene at an old arched gateway where a person operates a food cart under a shelter, illuminated by lamps, while another person sits nearby using a phone.
Sangeen Darwaza, one of the entryways into the Hari Parbat Fort. The first fortifications on the site were constructed by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1590 who built an outer wall for the fort as part of his plans for a new capital at the site of modern-day Srinagar city in Kashmir. The project, however, was never completed. The present fort was built in 1808 under the reign of the Governor of Kashmir Province of the Durrani Empire, Atta Mohammed Khan. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
“By visually drawing upon the scenes meticulously depicted by Nandini, this project becomes a commentary on contemporary India and the role of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in preserving the region’s history."
Nighttime view of the historic Chhatri on the banks of the Yamuna River, illuminated by gentle lighting.
Children playing in the Zogra Bagh kiosk near Agra. This Mughal structure, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, was built upon the banks of the Yamuna River by Zahura Mahal, daughter of Babur. The kiosk, which was awaiting conservation, collapsed into the river in October 2024 shortly after this photo was taken. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.
Night view of an illuminated ancient monument with colourful lights.
Ancient tomb in Burhan. Photograph: Arko Datto/for British Academy in partnership with Panos Pictures.

About the artist

Before stepping into the world of contemporary photography, Arko Datto was on course to receive a doctorate in mathematical physics.
Thematically Datto explores forced migration, techno-fascism, surveillance in the digital panopticon, disappearing islands, nocturnal realms, and psychosomatic stress of captive animals. His subjects vary but together they form threads of inquiry into our times’ existential dilemmas. By incorporating and developing diverse visual languages, narratives, and styles, Datto pushes both still and moving images’ boundaries. His long- term personal projects and commissions are published in TIME, National Geographic, The Atlantic, New Yorker. He received grants from Prince Claus Fund, Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, IDFA Bertha Fund. Recent shows have been at Fotografia Europea, Light Work, SFO Museum, Fotomuseum Den Haag, Hamburger Bahnhof. He has published three photo books: Pik-nik (Editions Le bec en l’air, 2018), Mannequin (Edizioni L’artiere, 2018), and Snakefire (Edizioni L’artiere, 2021). As a curator, he has been associated with Galleri Image, Kochi Biennale, Obscura Photography Festival and Chennai Photo Biennale.
Website: https://arkodatto.art/
Instagram: @arkodatto
An individual in a cluttered workshop holds a large model of a lobster, surrounded by various objects including a mannequin.
Arko Datto. Photograph by Nora Lorek.

Further reading

British Academy Book Prize commissions new photography to reinterpret 2023 winner's work

Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire

Ross Perlin's Language City wins the 2024 British Academy Book Prize

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