From the catalogue of the exhibition Passages to India: Yesterday and Today, where Daniells will be juxtaposed with photographs by Antonio Martinelli

Paris and Rome will see India through the eyes of the Daniells, the uncle-nephew duo who had recorded the picturesque monuments and landscapes of India for 12 years between 1795 and 1808, and the lens of Paris-based Venetian photographer Antonio Martinelli, who revisited the sites that Thomas and William had captured in their aquatints, and photographed them with his battered Nikon.

This exhibition, titled Passages to India: Yesterday and Today, was first seen in 2000 at the Victoria Memorial Hall, which has the largest collection of Daniell aquatints.

This time, the Memorial is loaning 73 aquatints of 53 cmx74 cm dimension for an exhibition organised by Azienda Speciale Palaexpo ? Scuderie del Quirinale and il Centre des Monuments Nationaux, to be held at two important venues in Paris and Rome. Between July 6 and October 2 at Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, and between June 17 and September 11 in Paris at Conciergerie, Salle des Gens d?Armes.

The Scuderie holds photographic exhibitions every summer, and 2006 is being celebrated as the Year of India by Italy. The Azienda Speciale Palaexpo, Monum is the sponsor of this vast exhibition.

The 144 aquatints, titled Oriental Scenery, that the Daniells had published in six volumes, had opened a vista unseen before by Europe. They carried a foldable camera obscura, which ensured accuracy of drawing.

Martinelli, who had conceptualised the project, had tried to remain as faithful as possible to the originals, taking aim from, as far as possible, the same spots as the Daniells. Even the seasons and the quality of light are very close to the originals.

Martinelli, who has been visiting India since 1972-73 and has many fascinating books of photography to his credit, rediscovered the spots after extensive research. A book on the Daniells by Mildred Archer and Princess Naheed Mazharuddin Khan of Surat had introduced him to the duo.

The layout of the exhibition at Scuderie del Quirinale incorporates archaeological finds lent by the Museo Nazionale d?Arte Orientale in Rome, the Daniells? fourth volume, on loan from the British Library in London, a map on India by A. Arrowsmith dated 1822 and a rare portable camera obscura.

Five stone and three bronze sculptures of exquisite beauty, all associated with the itineraries taken by the Daniells, will be displayed. The three steles of the Pala period are from Bihar or Bengal.

The three bronze sculptures are connected with the Daniells? journey in southern India, and are datable to the period when they travelled through India.

Concurrently, the Scuderie will hold a festival of Indian films made between 1936 and the present times Bollywood. The highlight of the festival will be directors with strong Indian connections.

Besides the inevitable Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, Pasolini and Antonioni will rub shoulders with the likes of Ram Gopal Verma and Karan Johar.