Synopses & Reviews
This true account of the scandal that enveloped the discovery in 1898 of an inscribed casket said to contain the ashes of the Buddha, is set against the background of the high noon of the British Raj. In January 1898 a British landowner, William Claxton Peppé, excavated a large Buddhist brick stupa on his estate close to Indias border with Nepal. At a depth of 24 feet he uncovered a huge stone coffer. What made this discovery so important was an inscription found on the top of one of the reliquary caskets - declaring it to contain ashes of the Buddha. This news aroused world-wide interest since no other so well authenticated relics of the Buddha had ever been found. But almost immediately it became known that a German archaeologist, Dr Anton Führer, working nearby at the same time had not only made bogus claims and faked his results but had also been associated with the dig. Führer was quickly unmasked by a British magistrate who himself had a stake in the excavation.
Synopsis
This true account of the scandal that enveloped the 1898 discovery of an inscribed casket said to contain the ashes of the Buddha is set against the high noon of the British Raj. The discovery at Piprahwa in northern India aroused worldwide interest, not least in the Buddhist world, since no other well-authenticated relics of the Buddha had ever been found. But almost immediately it became known that a German archaeologist, Dr. Anton Führer, working nearby at the same time had not only made bogus claims and faked his results, but he had also been associated with the dig. Renowned India expert Charles Allen—author of God’s Terrorists: The Wahhabi Cult And the Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad and, most famously, Plain Tales from the Raj—tells the story, weaving in the results of a conference held at Harewood House in June 2006 on the validity of the Piprahwa dig and considering the results of recent carbon dating.
Synopsis
A tale fantastic tale of fading colonialism and a controversial piece of early Buddhist history.
Synopsis
A true account of the scandal that enveloped the discovery in 1898 of an inscribed casket said to contain the ashes of the Buddha, set against the background of the high noon of the British Raj
About the Author
Charles Allen's family's association with India dates back to the battle of Seringapatam in 1799. His great-grandfather brought the young Rudyard Kipling out to work on his newspaper, the Civil and Military Gazette. Charles Allen is a well-known traveller, writer and broadcaster, specialising in India.