The Buddha and Dr Fuhrer: An Archaeological Scandal - Hardcover

Charles Allen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1905791933 ISBN 13: 9781905791934

Publisher: Haus Publishing Limited, 2008

Synopsis

This book offers a true account of the scandal that enveloped the discovery in 1898 of an inscribed cascet said to contain the ashes of the Buddha, set against the background of the high noon of the British Raj.In January 1898 a British landowner, William Claxton Peppe, excavated a large Buddhist brick stupa on his estate close to India's border with Nepal. At a depth of 24 feet he uncovered a huge stone coffer, within which were a number of reliquary vases together with a mass of jewels and gold offerings. The opening of the Piprahwa stupa followed on from the discovery nearby of the birthplace of the Buddha (Lumbini) and the legendary city (Kapilavastu) where he had grown into manhood as Prince Sidhartha, but what made this discovery so important was an inscription found on the top of one of the reliquary cascets - declaring it to contain ashes of the Buddha left there by members of his own Sakya clan.This news aroused world-wide interest, not least in the Buddhist world, 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 Fuhrer, working nearby at the same time had not only made bogus claims and faked his results but had also been associated with the dig. Fuhrer was quickly unmasked by a British magistrate who himself had a stake in the excavation.Renowned India expert Charles Allen 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.

About this title

About the Author:

Born in Cawnpore in the last years of the British Raj, 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. Mr Allen is a traveller, writer and broadcaster, specialising in India and the Far East.

About this edition

• Publisher: Haus Publishing Limited
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1905791933
• ISBN 13: 9781905791934
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 300