Ellora, The Cave of Ramaishwar (or Lord of Rama) c. 1869

Curator: This image, taken by Colin Murray, shows "Ellora, The Cave of Ramaishwar," at some point during the artist's lifetime in the mid-19th century. There's a striking sense of stillness. Editor: The way the light drapes across the carved figures, juxtaposed with the shadow, suggests the deep time held within these spaces, doesn't it? I wonder about the colonial gaze framing this sacred site. Curator: It's inescapable in 19th century photography from the region. This cave, dedicated to Shiva, became a site of both reverence and anthropological study. Editor: How might the person in the foreground be implicated in this narrative? Is their presence a symbol of resistance, or an element of exoticism for the Western viewer? Curator: Perhaps both, simultaneously. Murray’s photograph freezes a complex intersection of faith, power, and representation. Editor: Absolutely, a single frame holding layers of meaning, a frozen moment in the ongoing negotiation of identity and place.