A Vision of Splendour

A growing awareness in Britain and in India of the need to care for monuments forced the Archaeological Survey of India (A. S. I.) to professionalize.

In January 1901 the Netherlands Sanskritist Jean Philippe Vogel (1871–1958) was invited to enter the A. S. I. as the Superintendent for the Panjab, Baluchistan and Ajmir Circle, later geographically extended and renamed the Northern Circle. He considered it a privilege to contribute to the process of “passing on India’s monuments in the full splendour of their authenticity,” and enrich his academic knowledge by working in the context of the indigenous culture of India. Vogel’s personality and expertise of Sanskrit and epigraphy, history and art history made him soon become the confidant and prospective successor of John Marshall, the new Director General of the Archaeological Survey.

This publication highlights Vogel’s contribution to early twentieth-century archaeology, including an introductory retrospective on nineteenth-century Indian archaeology. Vogel’s vision towards preservation and restoration, the “art of fieldwork” and the educational display of archaeological exhibits in museums is extensively documented with photographic prints dating from 1870 to 1920. The photographs are part of the Jean Philippe Vogel collection at the Kern Institute of the Universiteit Leiden and have been carefully selected to underpin the various aspects of heritage care of the twentieth century. All 150 photos are embedded in their art- and photo-historical context. Vogel’s diaries and letters not only shed a great deal of light on his archaeological activities, but also picture his unique position as a Dutch citizen operating in a society where neither the indigenous culture nor that of the colonial ruler was his own. These unique data are the basis for the final chapter in which Vogel’s observations help to sketch the social relations within Anglo-Indian society and the process of Indianization of the archaeological department.

With special reference to Vogel’s explorations and excavations in Gandhara,the Panjab Hill States (Chamba), Kasia (Kusinagara), Saheth-Maheth (Sravasti) and Mathura. Includes a chronology of his archaeological activities and a pictorial gallery of his fellow colleagues.