Origins & Early Life

Raja Lala Deen Dayal (Hindi: लाला दीन दयाल; c. 1844 – 1905; also written as 'Din Dyal' and 'Diyal' in his early years), famously known as Raja Deen Dayal) was an Indian photographer. His career began in the mid-1870s as a commissioned photographer; eventually he set up studios in Indore, Mumbai and Hyderabad. He became the court photographer to the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad, Mahbub Ali Khan, Asif Jah VI, who awarded him the title Raja Bahadur Musavvir Jung Bahadur, and he was appointed as the photographer to the Viceroy of India in 1885.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He received the Royal Warrant from Queen Victoria in 1897. The Nizam of Hyderabad conferred the honorary title of Raja upon him. Deen Dayal was born in Sardhana, Uttar Pradesh, near Meerut in a family of jewellers. He received technical training at Thomason College of Civil Engineering at Roorkee (now IIT Roorkee) in 1866 as an engineer in lower subordinate class. In 1866, Deen Dayal entered government service as head estimator and draughtsman in the Department of Works Secretariat Office in Indore.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Meanwhile, he took up photography. His first patron in Indore was Maharaja Tukoji Rao II of Indore state, who...

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