Home > Indian History > History of India > Alexander Cunningham
Alexander Cunningham
Sir Alexander Cunningham was known as the father of the Archaeological Survey of India. He was a British army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group who later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India.

Share this Article:

Alexander Cunningham , Indian HistorianAlexander Cunningham is known as the father of the Archaeological Survey of India who was a British army engineer with the Bengal Engineer Group. He later took an interest in the history and archaeology of India. He was also an English archaeologist, army engineer, Scottish classical scholar and critic. He wrote numerous books and monographs and made extensive collections of artefacts. He was awarded with the CSI on 20th May 1870 and CIE in 1878.

Early Life of Alexander Cunningham
Alexander Cunningham was born on 23rd January in the year 1814 in Ayrshire in London to the Scottish poet Allan Cunningham who was a native of Dumfrieshire. Along with his older brother, Joseph, he received his early education at Christ`s Hospital, London. At a tender age of 19 years he joined the Bengal Engineers and spent the next 28 years of his life in the service of the British Government of the Indian subcontinent. After a distinguished career he retired as the major general in 1861.

Career of Alexander Cunningham
In 1841 Cunningham was made executive engineer to the king of Oudh. Then he was posted at Nowgong in central India before he saw act at the "Battle of Punniar" in December 1843. He became engineer at Gwalior and was accountable for constructing an arched stone bridge over the Morar River. In 1845 he was called to serve in Punjab and helped construct two bridges of boats across the Beas River prior to the Battle of Sobraon. His early work Essay on the Aryan Order of Architecture arose from his trips to the temples in Kashmir and his travels in Ladakh. He was also there at the battles of Chillianwala and Gujarat in 1848. In 1851, he surveyed the Buddhist monuments of Central India along with Lieutenant Maisey, and wrote an explanation of these. He was appointed Colonel of the Royal Engineers in 1860. He retired on 30 June 1861, having attained the rank of Major General.

Cunningham had taken an intense interest in antiquities early in his career. In 1834, he wrote to the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, an appendix to James Prinsep`s article on the relics in the Manikyala Tope. He had conducted excavations at Sarnath in 1837 along with Colonel F.C. Maisey and made watchful drawings of the sculptures. In 1842, he excavated at Sankissa and at Sanchi in 1851. In 1854 he published "The Bhilsa Topes", an attempt to set up the history of Buddhism based on architectural confirmation. After his department was abolished in 1865, Cunningham returned to England and wrote the first part of his Ancient Geography of India (1871), covering the Buddhist period. In 1870, Lord Mayo re-established the Archaeological Survey of India, with Cunningham as it"s director-general from 1st January 1871. Then he returned to India and produced 24 reports, 13 as author and the rest under his management. Other major works included the first volume of "Corpus inscriptionum Indicarum" (1877) which included copies of the edicts of Ashoka, the Stupa of Bharhut (1879) and the Book of Indian Eras (1883) which allowed the dating of Indian antiquities. He retired from the Archaeological Survey on 30th September 1885 and returned to London to carry on his research and writing. In 1887, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire.

Personal Life of Alexander Cunningham
Alexander Cunningham has two brothers, Francis and Joseph who became well known for their work in British India. Then he married Alicia Maria Whish, daughter of Martin Whish, B.C.S., on 30th March 1840. They had two sons, Lieutenant-Colonel Allan J. C. Cunningham of the Bengal and Royal Engineers and Sir Alexander F. D. Cunningham of the Indian Civil Service.


Share this Article:

Subscribe to Newsletter
Learn unknown facts about India from a curated list of informative articles.

Related Articles

More Articles in History of India

History of Indian Drama
History of Indian Drama is rich with Vedas and Indian epics and has gradually changed with time and remains unaffected by any foreign influence.
History of Khajuraho Temple
Located in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh, Khajuraho is country’s most magnificent groups of temples.
History of Ayurveda
History of Ayurveda dates back to 5,000 years old and is widely considered to be the oldest form of health care in the world.
History of Uttar Pradesh
The state was the heart of Mahabharata war and the history of Uttar Pradesh is very much the history of India. The place finds its mentions in Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
History of Indian Photography
An overview of the development of photography, through the various stages in India.
History of Delhi
History of Delhi began with the advent of Indian regal dynasties. Delhi witnessed the rise and fall of Hindu dynasties, Muslims and the British as well.
History of Indian Radio
History of Indian Radio dates back to late 1930s with the first establishment of All India Radio in 1936 that improved further after independence.
History of Punjab
History of Punjab dates back to the 16th century; however its formation is traced in the great epic Mahabharata.
History Of Archaeology In India
History of archaeology in India contributes a lot to define the past history and the social life of India.
History of Maharashtra
Maharashtra, the land of charismatic Marathas, unfolds the legend of diverse culture and tradition, keeping in pace with the modernity. The gallant history of Maharashtra is still echoed amidst its historical relics and archeological wonders.
History of Kerala
History of Kerala can be interpreted from the inscriptions of Ashoka, Mauryan Emperor. History of Kerala is as interesting as its wide-ranging geographical features that make the land a place of versatile appeal.
History of Bihar
History of Bihar goes back to the very dawn of the human civilizations. Many eminent personalities and leaders from Bihar contributed for India’s freedom struggle.
History of Assam
In the ancient Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, Assam was known as `Kamarupa` or `Pragjyotish`. In the Mahabharata, the Puranas, the Tantras there are references of Assam as Kamrupa kingdom.
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
History of Andaman and Nicobar Islands dates back to the settlement of the East India Company in the territory of the Islands.
History of West Bengal
History of West Bengal is rooted in richness and is an important episode in the history of India. The history of Bengal played an important role in shaping the history of India.
History of Jharkhand
One of the fairly newer states, Jharkhand was carved out of the southern portion of Bihar in 2000. The history of Jharkhand is seeped with a variety of cultural significances starting from the Vedic era to Mughal period and finally the British administration.
History of Sikkim
History of Sikkim declares the pre historic culture and the colonial era hilly politics and the rules of Sikkim.
History of Nagaland
The history of Nagaland mainly revolves around and deals with the customs and economic activities of the Naga Tribes and how the state has evolved since the Indian Independence.
History of Mizoram
History of Mizoram includes the various historical events and incidents which occurred during the various ages, right from before the age of the Mughals.
History of Jammu & Kashmir
History of Jammu and Kashmir involves a series of political and geographical transformations from every ancient era to the modern times also. Even now, Jammu and Kashmir has its political tension between Pakistan and India.
History of Puducherry
Puducherry was invaded by different invaders in different times. The invaders include Pallava Kingdom of Kanchipuram, dynasties of the South, Cholas of Thanjavur, Pandyas and Muslim invaders.
History of Chandigarh
In 1947, the British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Punjab was also included in this partition. So, there was a need for a new capital for Punjab, as the old capital Lahore became part of Pakistan during the partition. So, in 1948, under the leadership of chief architect Mr. P.L. Verma the construction of Chandigarh city began.
History of Daman and Diu
During the early stage, i.e. from 8th to 13th century, Daman and Diu was part of Goa.
History of Lakshadweep
History of Lakshadweep defines the first settlement on these islands under the Union Territory of India that was ruled by Cheraman Perumal, who was the last king of Kerala.
History of Karnataka
History of Karnataka comprised of the different rulers of different dynasties of various religions like Hindus, Buddhists, and later the Muslims.
History of Goa
History of Goa dates back to the 3rd century BC and reflects the rule of the mighty rulers and gained its independence under Jawaharlal Nehru.
History of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh possesses a rich historical heritage of culture of the ancient tribes. Being a bordering state of India, Arunachal Pradesh also has a history of military unrest since ancient Indian age.
History of Andhra Pradesh
History of Andhra Pradesh traces its origin back to the 5th century BC. According to the inscriptions, Kuberaka, the oldest Kingdom in South India had an empire in the coastal Andhra during that period.
History of Himachal Pradesh
History of Himachal Pradesh narrates about the various settlements and dynasties that emerged in the region over time.
History of Uttarakhand
History of Uttarakhand finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as Kedarkhand, Manaskhand and Himavat. Uttarakhand is called as the Land of the Gods (Dev Bhoomi) because of its various holy places and shrines.
History of Rajasthan
The history of Rajasthan is dotted with tales of valor, chivalry, camaraderie and romance.
History of Tamil Nadu
History of Tamil Nadu reveals that this ancient place in South India was ruled by various kingdoms like the Pandyas Dynasty, Cholas Dynasty, Nayakas Dynasty and Pallavas Dynasty.
History of Haryana
History of Haryana depicts various events and influences that have cast a profound effect on the culture and people of the district. The place gained statehood on 1st of November 1966
History of Odisha
History of Odisha goes back a rather long way. Most of the history of the state is replete with the dynastic as well as tribal struggle for territorial superiority. Odisha is a place where one can find the religion, culture and history flow in away that lead to cultural amalgamation of early India.
History of Manipur
History of Manipur can be traced back to the prehistoric ages and this was followed by a number of rulers who reigned the land from age to age till it came under British rule and later joined the union of India.
History of Gujarat
History of Gujarat can be dated back to the 14th century that later witnessed the supremacy of many powerful dynasties.
History of Tripura
History of Tripura is dealing with the early mythological history and the history of British rule in North eastern part of India.
History of Meghalaya
The history of Meghalaya predominantly comprises of the three tribes of the state- Garo, Khasi and Jaintia tribes. Later on Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam.
History of Chhattisgarh
History of Chhattisgarh dates back to the era of epics and traces through the reign of powerful dynasties in India like Marathas. The area developed a rich cultural heritage during British era.