Auckland Colvin held this position from 1887 to 1892. He was born in Calcutta to a white Anglo-Indian family and held administrative sway in both Egypt and India.

From 1885 to 1890 William Mansfield, the 1st Viscount of of Sandhurst served as governor of Bombay.

From 1884 to late 1888 Lord Dufferin served as Viceroy. He was succeeded in December of 1888 by the Marquess of Landsdowne, who served until 1894.

From 1886-1890, Robert Bourke, 1st Baron Connemara served as the Governor of Madras. Madras had deep connections with the East India Company and served as an administrative body from the 17th century to Indian independence.

In 1876 Queen Victoria of England also took on the title of Empress of India.This was an attempt at more thoroughly connecting India to the British Empire.

Originally defined as the court or palace of a king or prince, in the 19th century "sirkar" refers more generally to the state or government.

Allan Octavian Hume was one of the co-founders of the INC. Born in Scotland, he served in the Civil Service for many years, and proclaimed to help improve the lives of the common people. He noted the unrest and discontent among native Indians, as well as disregard from the British Empire. With participants from Calcutta University and some initial support from Lord Dufferin, the Indian Union began to form and ultimately evolved into the INC. IN 1886 and 1887 Hume attempted to bring in more farmers, townspeople, and Muslims, but British backlash did not allow for this.

Alternate version: Mahdi. In Muslim belief, the Mahdi is one who will restore religion and justice. It appears Mukharji is referring to Muhammad Ahmad who declared himself the Mahdi in 1881 and started a revolution in Sudan. Egyptian and British forces worked together in attempts to push him back but they eventually had to evacuate. Khartoum was the site of a siege and battle against British forces in 1885, which the British ultimately lost. However, the Mahdi died six months later, which led to a period of disarray among his following.

The word "dervish" was one way of referring to the aforementioned Muhammad Ahmad's followers. It has its origin in the Persian "darvēsh" and is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as "a Muslim friar, who has taken vows of poverty and austere life". Often, the word is specifically attached to members of Sufi sects. However, Ahmad wanted to distinguish his followers from such groups, and instead decreed they be called "Ansar", which had been used by the Prophet Muhammed in regards to those in Medina who welcomed him. The use of "dervish" may imply that Mukharji is unaware of this distinction, or does not deem it as important.

An excerpt from Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's poem To the Bedouin Arabs from his collection Love Sonnets of Proteus. Blunt was an English poet and he and his wife, Anne Blunt, traveled throughout the Middle East, India, and Egypt. He often made clear his position as against British imperialism. The collection of poems from which this excerpt comes was published in 1881 in England.

The Ethnological Museum of Berlin was founded in 1873 and then reopened in a new building in 1886, the time of Mukhraji's travels around Europe. The mentioned Dr. Bastian was one of the original founders of the museum and was its first director. The museum held collections from countries outside of Europe, with a great deal of art, as well as photographs, and continuously grew in size, requiring new buildings as time went on. It is currently being moved to a different location as part of a large scale project.

During this session, the Congress criticized the Indian Councils Act of 1892. They said the Act didn't give native Indians the right to elect their own representatives.

In 1892 the Congress met from December 28-30 in Allahabad. At the time Womesh Chandra Bonnerjee was president. He also presided over the first session in 1885.

George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, served as Viceroy if India from 1880-1884. His politics leaned towards the more progressive as far as the rights of native Indians were concerned. During his time as Viceroy he introduced the Ilbert Bill, which would have granted native Indians more rights, including the right for Indian judges to judge white Europeans in court. He also started the work on what would become the Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885.

In 1885 Russian forces moved into Afghan territory around the Panjdeh oasis. The British Empire had a history of tension with Russia in Central Asia and India, and this incident threatened a full scale conflict. Ultimately Dufferin negotiated so Russia could control Panjdeh but give up other territory it had moved through.

The Bengal Tenancy Act of 1885 worked to define the rights of zamindars (land owners) and ryots (tenants). The Zamindars were hereditary land owners and originally had full rights regarding the use of such land. As they increased costs, the ryots refused to pay. This type of act is important in considering how the British administration dealt with land and its economic attachments in India.

Dufferin worked to have the support of both native Indians and Anglo-Indians. The fact that the INC was founded during his time as Viceroy displays the ways in which nationalist movements were possible in the face of the British administration at the time. It is important to consider how this nationalism did not initially advocate for full independence at first however.

Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, the 1st Marquess of Dufferin, served as the eighth Viceroy of India. He is known to be one of the most successful diplomats and spent many years as a public servant. The Viceroy of India, also referred to as the "Governor-General of India" was the head of the British administration in India. Until Indian independence, this position was appointed by the East India Company. Dufferin held the position from 1884 to 1888.

"In vacuum", as in existing separate or alone.

"Mahomedan" is an alternate spelling of "Mohammedan", which is defined as a follower of Mohammed and of Islam. This alludes to possible religious divisions among those participating in various independence movements.

Since its conception, the Indian National Congress, as it is called today, has been held in Calcutta multiple times. While this article says the first meeting was held in Calcutta, the INC states its first session was in 1885 in Bombay. It's possible the dissemination of information to various news organizations was varied, and it is unclear how "first meeting" or "session" is exactly defined.

The Hotel Metropole was constructed from 1871-1873 as part of the Vienna World Exhibition. The Exhibition took place in 1973, and the hotel operated until it was destroyed during World War II. During WWII the hotel was taken over by the Gestapo and was the largest office outside of Berlin. A memorial to victims of the Holocaust stands in its place now.

The Central Hotel would have been extremely well known, as it was a luxury hotel, and Berlin's second grand hotel. It was destroyed in World War II, but until then it hosted many traveling merchants, especially due to its location directly adjacent to the Friedrichstrasse train station.. It was Berlin's largest hotel at the time and was well developed technologically

The Spree river runs through the city center of Berlin, and is the cite of the original center of the city was built. Multiple palaces and governmental buildings reside along it, including the Reichstag. The Spree runs north through Germany and for several kilometers through the city.