This essay by a leading scholar from the International Institute of Asian Studies newsletter is a nice summary of work about early Indian photography.

Sophie Gordon writes: "Photography was first introduced to India in 1840, only a year after the announcement of the daguerrotype and calotype processes in France and England. The fragility of early material, the uniqueness of the daguuerrotype and the harshness of the Indian climates men that photographs from the time are scarce, leaving us with a fragmented picture of the development of the medium."