Papers of Major J.R. Cunningham

This material contains a letter from major Cunningham describing the "Haram of Ali Raza" at Mashhad and a copy of the "Ziarat Nameh" said at the shrine. There is also further Royal Asiatic Society correspondence concerning what to do with this donated material.

Major J.R. Cunningham was part of the Indian Government. In 1930 J.R. Cunningham, the then Director of Public Information of Assam, issued a circular imposing a blanket ban on any anti-British and pro-swadeshi activity by students. It seems he was stationed in Jabalpur in 1939 and also visited Mashhad in the same year. The membership list of the Society for 1947 has him listed as Lieutenant-Colonel Cunningham and living in Tunbridge Wells.

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'. It continues as a forum for those who are interested in the languages, cultures and history of Asia to meet and exchange ideas.

The material was divided into two series: JRC/1 - Cunningham correspondence and JCR/2 - Allied correspondence

Open. Please contact the archivist using the email address given here. The archive is open on Tuesdays and Fridays 10-5, and Thursdays 2-5. Access is to any researcher without appointment but it will help if an appointment is made via phone or email. Please bring photo ID.

The material was sent by Cunningham for the use of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Major J.R. Cunningham was part of the Indian Government. In 1930 J.R. Cunningham, the then Director of Public Information of Assam, issued a circular imposing a blanket ban on any anti-British and pro-swadeshi activity by students. It seems he was stationed in Jabalpur in 1939 and also visited Mashhad in the same year. The membership list of the Society for 1947 has him listed as Lieutenant-Colonel Cunningham and living in Tunbridge Wells.

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'. It continues as a forum for those who are interested in the languages, cultures and history of Asia to meet and exchange ideas.

This material was catalogued by Nancy Charley, RAS Archivist, in 2019.

Digital photography (without flash) for research purposes may be permitted upon completion of a copyright declaration form, and with respect to current UK copyright law.

The material was sent to the Royal Asiatic Society by Major Cunningham in 2019. The further correspondence was created in the discussion as to the future of the material.

Published

gb891-jrc