Varanasi India 1959

This vibrant 1959 travel poster celebrating Varanasi, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, is a striking example of post-independence Indian tourism promotion. Produced at a time when India was actively presenting its cultural heritage to an international audience, the poster captures the spiritual heart of the country through a richly stylized vision of life along the Ganges.

The composition depicts the famous riverfront ghats of Varanasi, alive with pilgrims, temple spires, boats, and ritual activity. The stepped embankments, crowded with figures and colorful parasols, lead the eye toward a skyline of ornate Hindu temples crowned with fluttering flags. In the foreground, the reflective water of the Ganges shimmers with fragmented color, reinforcing the sacred presence of the river as both a physical and spiritual axis of the city.

Rendered in flat, carefully layered tones—ochres, greens, rose, turquoise, and gold—the image blends modern graphic simplification with traditional subject matter. The stylization evokes Indian miniature painting and folk color sensibilities while clearly aligning with international mid-century poster design. The large, flowing calligraphic “India” anchors the lower section, giving the poster a bold visual identity while allowing the city scene to remain the emotional core.

Although the specific artist is not clearly identified, this poster belongs to a group of Indian tourism works produced in the late 1950s under the direction of state tourism bodies and national printing offices. These posters were intended to reposition India on the global stage after independence (1947), emphasizing spiritual depth, architectural splendor, and cultural continuity. Unlike earlier colonial-era travel imagery, they often presented India through an Indian visual lens—colorful, symbolic, and rooted in lived traditions.

Varanasi (also known as Benares or Kashi) is one of Hinduism’s holiest cities, revered as a place of pilgrimage, ritual bathing, and cremation. By centering the ghats, temples, and everyday devotional life, the poster avoids exotic spectacle in favor of a reverent, immersive atmosphere, presenting the city as both ancient and enduring.

With its harmonious balance of modern design and sacred imagery, this 1959 Varanasi poster stands as a refined example of mid-century travel art and as a visual statement of India’s cultural identity in the early decades of independence.

Original Poster

Tourism - Advertising - India

Printed by Sree Saraswati Press Ltd in Calcutta

Good condition