The history of the asylum has proven to be an invaluable resource for exploring the interface between science, medicine, religion and social and political processes. The definitions of insanity have troubled humans for centuries, as have the methods for treatment. Diverse, and often conflicting, ideological positions are quite common. Documenting the specific histories of the staff and patients of an asylum can thus help us understand the evolution of the physical and the intellectual growth of psychiatry in India. In this endeavour, we have used the records of the Lunatic Asylum, Bangalore (later the All India Institute of Mental Health and subsequently the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences [NIMHANS]) to explore the history of psychiatry in India. The only asylum maintained by a 'Native Kingdom', it exemplifies the dynamics of the growth of mental health services in the country. We trace the changes in administrative control of the Asylum, the changes in medical practice and some aspects of the social history of the region. This article traces the history of psychiatry at one institution, which, at the micro level, is a mirror to the understanding of the historical trends of psychiatric services in India.