'Stonehenge, Kutar Sung, near Nawakilla', 1863

Photograph by William Baker, India, North West Frontier (1860-1864), 1863.

Baker took this photograph of a mysterious set of standing stones during the Umbeyla campaign on the North West Frontier. They were nicknamed 'the Yusufzai Stonehenge' by the British. It is now known as Asota Megaliths after a nearby village. The stones are believed to be at least 2000 years old.

The campaign, undertaken between 20 October and 23 December 1863, was directed against Muslim tribesmen in Sittana and focused on the village of Malka. The tribesmen had harboured Indian mutineers in 1857 and were still resisting British rule over a decade later. The Yusafzai Field Force under General Sir Neville Chamberlain advanced up the Umbeyla Pass against strong opposition. Heavy casualties were sustained during attempts to hold the 'Eagle's Nest' and 'Crag Piquet'. The troops were organised into two brigades which drove the rebels out of the valley and a small party then burnt Malka. The expedition suffered 238 dead and 670 wounded.

From a collection of photographs compiled by Surgeon Henry Walter Bellew, 1878-1880 (c).