Think souvenirs or collectibles from a city and often mass-produced, tacky fridge magnets come to mind. Changing this narrative one miniature at a time, is artist Parth Jha.
The 33-year-old, originally from Madhya Pradesh, has been crafting aesthetic and impeccably finished miniatures of the city’s famous landmarks over the past two years. “I was inspired by the idea of creating a high quality, superior artefact that could serve as a physical memory of a place; it had to be something tangible,” says Parth.
Passionate about history and culture, Parth has no formal training in art or design. A marketing and brand management professional, his fascination with miniatures began during a trip to Japan a few years ago. “In Japan, I was amazed by the miniatures of their own cities and how there was a burgeoning market for it. They were popular with the locals who displayed these works in their homes.”
“Even seemingly mundane things such as public telephone booths and manhole covers were crafted beautifully. That got me thinking how perfectly these miniatures captured the essence and character of a city,” he says.
Parth Jha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Back home, Bengaluru proved to be the perfect muse for Parth. “I have lived in various cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, but there are several pockets of Bengaluru that are extremely aesthetic whether they are parks or road signs.”
“Most Bangaloreans are proud of their city and with so many of them living abroad, there is a huge lack in the availability of high-quality souvenirs that one can take back as gifts. So, I wanted to create a keepsake that had nostalgic value and reminded them of their favourite places in the city.”
Parth spent a lot of time understanding the city’s character. His research included reading and scanning social media to connect with old Bangaloreans in his quest to identify the city’s hotspots. Till date, he has created about 10 miniatures which include the Dodda Ganapati temple, eateries such as Vidyarthi Bhavan, CTR, Veena Stores, Brahmins Coffee Bar and the ubiquitous yellow-and-red road signs.
According to Parth, the first step after identifying a place is deciding on the timeline to create the miniature. “This step is important as these buildings have undergone several renovations and it is key to finalise the version that will be replicated as a miniature.” Once this is finalised, he makes a list of other cultural identifiers, such as the chutney stand and parcel counter at Veena Stores or the menu card at MTR.
A miniature of MTR by Parth Jha
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Next, he creates a 3D drawing, and using 3D sculpting and printing, a base model is built. Many a time, he runs this base model past old Bangaloreans who give him feedback on its authenticity and on what changes are required.
“I am often astonished by the level of detail with which people observe and expect me to create these miniatures. For Veena stores, I had to add glasses on top of the water cooler because someone pointed out that there used to be steel glasses there. I also had to add more space behind the chutney stand because the person serving needed space to stand; this was pointed out by a follower.”
Through creating miniatures, Parth has gained valuable insights. “One of them is definitely the fact that memories can be incredibly diverse and change drastically with the age group and the area in which they were brought up. I could never have imagined that Windsor Bridge would come as a request from people; a lot of them have memories attached with it as the first ‘flyover’.
Another learning, Parth says was that people from different areas in Bengaluru have very specific requirements. “For example, people from Malleshwaram wanted a CTR miniature and wouldn’t take MTR along with it – because they didn’t relate to it as much. So while all of them are Bengalurueans, they identify very strongly with their own localities.”
Each model goes through several iterations before it is fine-tuned and prototyped. The next critical step is painting for which Parth uses imported colours. On an average, each miniature is just about 45 mm in size and takes a couple of weeks to complete.
Apart from these miniatures, Jha has been receiving custom requests from people asking him to create miniatures of their ancestral homes and name boards for their houses. “Right now, I am working on creating a model of Pecos, one the city’s oldest pubs, which a client wanted for her uncle,” says Parth, who is also an award-winning wildlife photographer.
Published – December 08, 2025 09:01 pm IST
