DELHI DURBAR 1903.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Programme. Chief's Retinue Review. Wednesday, 7th 1903. Printed at the durbar camp in only 500 copies. This programme details the size and composition of each maharaja's retinue during their great procession, including a golden cannon from Baroda, 50 camel-mounted soldiers from Bikaner, and the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy text of the Sikhs, placed atop an elephant in the retinue from Patiala. We have traced no other copies.The second Delhi Durbar celebrated the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. It was masterminded by Lord Curzon, who spent two years planning every detail. One of the highlights of the festivities was a procession of the maharajas around the Durbar Amphitheatre, each dressed in fine clothes and jewellery. Each maharaja brought the full extent of their riches to bear; the programme records 141 elephants, over 100 camels, nearly 1,000 men, and one bullock named "Rath" in the parade. The final page stresses that the order of the procession was not based on precedence or rank, but on distance from the amphitheatre each retinue had made camp.

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