Ashoka Pillar moved to its present position by Feroz Shah

You see a tall stone pillar standing in a grassy field, with British soldiers and workers gathered around it.

You see a tall stone pillar standing in a grassy field, with British soldiers and workers gathered around it.

This pillar was once part of an ancient Indian monument built by Emperor Ashoka over 2,000 years ago. In the 1800s, the British moved it to Delhi as a trophy of empire. The painting shows that moment—history being carted away.

Look up more paintings of England, 19th century to see how artists pictured colonial power.

This photograph depicts the relocation of an ancient Ashoka Pillar, originally erected by Emperor Ashoka, to its current location.