WD1480-1486

TOD COLLECTION

James Tod (1782-1835) went to Bengal with the 2nd European Regiment in 1799. From 1812 to 1817, while Resident at Gwalior, he surveyed and mapped Rajputana and collected much scholarly information. In 1817 he was in charge of Intelligence during the Pindari campaign. From 1818 until his retirement in 1822 he was Political Agent in the W. Rajput States. He became librarian of the Royal Asiatic Society and published ‘Annals and antiquities of Rajasthan’ (London, 1829-32) and ‘Travels in western India’ (London, 1839).

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WD1480-1486

7 plans and elevations of rock-cut temples at Dhamnar, Indore. c.1821.

Inscribed with notes in ink and pencil.

1811 water-mark.

Note: The Dhamnar caves were first noticed and visited by Tod in December 1821, and were later examined by Cunningham (see ‘Archaelogical Survey of India report’, ii, 1864-65, 270). The plans in question were found in the Library along with the drawings of James Burgess (WD1487-1565) but the style and watermark make it most unlikely that they were made by him. It seems more probable that they are older plans, made for Tod, perhaps by his Mewar draughtsman Ghasi, which Burgess used when writing ‘The Cave temples of India.’ For Tod's collection of drawings in the Royal Asiatic Society, see R. Head, ‘Catalogue of Prints, Drawings, Engravings and Busts ...’(London, 1991), 107-22, and 037.099 for Tod's (i.e. Patrick Waugh's) drawing of the Dhamnar cave temples.