Curator’s Tour of Mughal Banaras: Forgotten Histories in a Troubled Present

Join photographer and curator Jateen Lad for an exclusive tour of the exhibition Mughal Banaras: Forgotten Histories in a Troubled Present.

While Banaras (Varanasi) is widely recognised as a Hindu pilgrimage city, this exhibition uncovers its often-overlooked Mughal heritage and the diverse communities that have shaped its history and urban fabric. Through photography, archival research, and careful observation of everyday life, the exhibition highlights hidden lanes, neighbourhoods, monuments, and festivals connected to the later Mughals, particularly Crown Prince Jahandar Shah and his descendants.

Explore the sites and stories that remain marginalised in public narratives, including imperial mosques, pleasure gardens, cemeteries, and Sufi shrines. Discover how these spaces continue to thrive amid social and political challenges, offering a nuanced understanding of Banaras’s complex past and present.

The meeting point will be shared with guests via email before the event.

About the Curator:

Jateen Lad is an architect working on the frontlines of our ever-widening social, economic and spatial inequalities and the fragile environments they create. His multi-disciplinary practice was established in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, in Pondicherry, India, and is now based in Manchester. His local and global projects seek to dignify and strengthen marginalised communities and are entirely built by local people, who he trains on-the-job, enhancing their skills, confidence and livelihoods. His award-winning buildings are described as 'a force for social change' and have been widely published and exhibited.