Photo 1002/10(488)

Genre: Architectural Photography

General view from the west, looking along the north bank of the tank towards the tomb and the linking causeway. The view shows the tomb during the 1882-83 restoration undertaken by J.D. Beglar. The dome is still swathed in scaffolding, and the small pavilion or kiosk at its summit, which was replaced by a finial in the course of this restoration, has not yet been removed. H.H. Cole, Curator of Ancient Monuments in India, visited the site in March 1883, and gives an account of the work, together with sketches, in his annual report (Second report of the Curator of Ancient Monuments in India, for the year 1882-83 (Calcutta, 1883), Appendix F, pp. xcvii-xcviii. His first sketch is taken from an almost identical viewpoint as this print, while his second, a closer view of the tomb, is very similar to print 489. It is possible that the sketches were in fact copied from these photographs (as was certainly Cole's practice in other reports) and a probable date for the photographs is therefore March 1883. The fact that Cole in an earlier report mentions the taking of photographs by Beglar also raises the possibility that the Garrick attribution is incorrect.

Subjects = Archaeological Survey of India Collections; Archaeological Survey of India Collections (Indian Museum Series); conservation & restoration; Indian architecture; Indian architecture (Islamic); tombs

Location = Bihar; India; Sasaram