Clock Towers of India: Sentinels of Time

Clock Towers of India: Sentinels of Time is a richly illustrated exploration of India's clock towers, revealing how public timekeeping has shaped—and been shaped by—the subcontinent’s history. Many clocks were imported from Britain and Europe, yet their continued survival reflects long traditions of local care, repair and adaptation, alongside later Indian manufacture.

Drawing on photographs gathered from across India, Debasish Das surveys more than 150 clock towers from all corners of the country spanning more than three centuries, from early colonial churches, such as the clock tower at the Basilica of Holy Rosary at Bandel in West Bengal (1660) to post-Independence public monuments, such as Mahatma Phule Mandai Clock in Pune (1993).

The book deals with the clock towers chronologically and provides for each clock tower its construction history, full description of the tower and its architectural style, as well as the description of the clock, dials, clockwork and the clockmaker, and finally an account of the subsequent repairs, maintenance and current status.

Bringing together architecture, horology and wider history, this novel volume opens a new visual and documentary record of India’s public clocks and the communities that have sustained them.