The Royal Library, in Windsor Castle, is home to one of the world’s richest collections of South Asian paintings and manuscripts. From jewel-like Mughal poetic texts to modern masterpieces, they span a geographical expanse from Kashmir to Kerala, shining the spotlight on the Indian subcontinent’s rich artistic history.

At the same time, they tell the story of 400 years of interaction between the British monarchy and the rulers of India, from the exploratory diplomatic missions to the court of the Great Mughals in the early seventeenth century to the royal tours of King George V and Queen Mary in 1905–6 and 1911–12. Wide-ranging in style and date, this part of the Royal Collection was formed from gifts given between nations at the very highest levels and consists of works chosen or commissioned for presentation as the finest examples of their kind.

Many of these masterpieces of Indian art have never before been presented together for public appreciation. We hope that you enjoy exploring this exceptional collection, and if it inspires you to go further, you can find out more by ordering the beautifully illustrated Royal Collection publication, Eastern Encounters: Four Centuries of Paintings and Manuscripts from the Indian Subcontinent, from which the material on this microsite was drawn.

You can also purchase the book. Every purchase helps us to care for and increase access to the Royal Collection.