How India got its boundaries? Maps offer historical insights

Old maps, detailing the lay of the land as well as providing insights into pre-independent India and the changes that occurred after Partition, are now on exhibit here.
An unseen collection dating back to the 18th century shows maps of India prepared by leading western cartographers and dealers like Pierre Mortier Lapie, Rigobort Bonne, Talliis among others and printed in England, France, Italy and the US.
"I have put together maps of India by different cartographers and printmakers. The earliest maps date back to 1750 and shows you how India looked like 200 years ago during the time of the Mughals, during the time of the British right up to 1946," Anubhav Nath of Ojas Arts, which is organising the exhibition told PTI.

A total of 100 maps, some sourced from Nath's collection, handed over to him by his grandfather Ramachander Nath and some lent by art and antiquity collector Gautam Sabbarwhal are featured in the exhibition "How India Got its boundaries" that goes on show from August 15 to September 20 this year.
"It is interesting to discover how maps define the borders of each country. Pre-Independent India included Pakistan and Bangladesh (erstwhile East Pakistan) and Post-Independence they became three different nations. We are all familiar with present day map but around 60 to 70 years ago India was a different place altogether," says Nath.

Cartography, or the art of graphically representing a geographical area reached its zenith in 17th-19th centuries as explorers discovered more places and were also able to mark their exact geographical locations with the help of longitudes and latitudes.
During that time, there was a vast commissioning of maps by western powers. Maps made by cartographers differed according to the perspective of different governments.
"The French and Portuguese so also the British would mark their maps differently to give prominence to their respective territories. The spellings of different places are also interesting to take note so also was the usage of colour," points out Nath.