Photo 1007/4

Brown half-leather album, 335x310mm, containing prints mounted on board with handwritten captions. The majority of the photographs are signed 'Edmd W. Smith, March 1898'. The prints are preceded by a copy of the annual progress report, issued by the Archaeological and Architectural Surveyors (Dr A. Führer and Mr. Edmund W. Smith respectively) of the Archaeological Survey, N.W.P. and Oudh Circle.

The photographs include architectural views of Agra and Sikandra, and stupas and relics at sites in Nepal Tarai, Basti District and the Salt Range.

Führer's report contains a number of statements regarding stupas excavated and relics and inscriptions found in the Nepal Tarai region, from which he claims to have uncovered important Buddhist remains including the Sakya capital, Kapilavastu. Many of these claims were revealed to be either false or based on meagre evidence. Fuhrerührer was subsequently forced to resign his office, after his deception was uncovered by P.C. Mukherji and Vincent A. Smith and his 'Monograph on Buddha Sakyamuni's Birthplace in the Nepalese Tarai', which was published as Vol XXVI in the New Imperial Series of the Reports of the Archaeological Survey of India, was withdrawn from circulation and the Government ordered that all undistributed copies should be destroyed.

Führer's deception is outlined by Vincent Smith in the NWP and Oudh Circle progress report for 1898-99 and elaborated in 'A report on a tour of exploration of the antiquities in the Tarai, Nepal, the region of Kapilavastu; during February and March, 1899, illustrated by 32 plates, by Babu Chandra Mukherji...with a prefatory note by Mr Vincent A. Smith', No XXVI, Part I of the Imperial Series, Reports of the Archaeological Survey of India, Calcutta, 1901. In his report, Mukherji believes the site of Kapilavastu to be Tilaurakot in Nepal, while Smith is more convinced by the case for Piprahwa in India. This contentious issue has continued to the present day, with Nepalese and Indian archaeologists searching for evidence to back their claims. In the 1970's, K.M. Srivastava made important discoveries of caskets and inscribed seals at Piprahwa, which were presented as final proof of the existence of Kapilavastu at that site. This evidence has been disputed in Nepal.

Process = Printing-out paper

Photographers = Edmund W. Smith, Archaeological Survey of India.;