India, Oct. 23 -- After nearly five years of rummaging through hundreds of graves and historical records, three history enthusiasts have chanced upon the tomb of American missionary Cynthia Farrar in Ahilyanagar; restoring a missing physical link to a pioneering chapter in Maharashtra's girls' education movement.

The stone tomb - discovered on October 16 at an old, British-era cemetery near Ahilyanagar fort - bears an inscription commemorating Farrar and her work of 35 years towards the education and spiritual enlightenment of Hindu women. Farrar's educational work in the region bears early influences such as those of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule's efforts to establish schools for girls in Pune.

The trio of Abhijit Wagh, Bhairavnath Wakale an...