Map

Delhi III

This composition is part of Zarina Hashmi’s (1937-2020) series of woodcut prints. Delhi III is part of Zarina Hashmi’s celebrated Delhi series. This striking woodcut shows the river Yamuna, a lifeline of her beloved city. The artist drew the river from memory, fashioning it as geographic border. Witness to the horrors of the India-Pakistan partition… Read more »

Bijapur

This map is of Bijapur (Now, Vijayapura), an erstwhile melting pot of cultures, and the capital of the Bijapur Sultanate in the Deccan region of India (presently part of the state of Karnataka). Once called the Palmyra of the Deccan, Bijapur was described by Henry Cousens as a place with ‘Palaces, arches, tombs, cisterns, gateways,… Read more »

Plan of the Siege-Works, June to September 1857

As the title suggests, this map is a plan of the siege of 1857 and was printed after the British recapture of Delhi, on 22nd September, 1857. This map shows Shahjahanabad prominently and precisely points to various battalions and batteries by their placement and their respective commands. The position of the British camp and the… Read more »

Vorder Indien

This map, Vorder Indien, depicts the various European territories in India in 1857. British territories are marked in light red and French and Portugese territories in white. Colour is important in communicating ideas on a map, but the use of it is more recent. For long, maps were made in black ink and printed on… Read more »

The Seven Cities of Delhi

This map points out the locations and broad layouts of several ancient cities of Delhi, while emphasising that they were isolated and did not overlap. Tughlukabad, Old Delhi, Jahanpanah, Hauz Khas, Purana Kila and Shahjahanabad stand out. There is cause to believe that this map was published later, even though it  is dated 11th September,… Read more »

Map of India, 1857

This map of India probably first appeared in The Illustrated London News in 1857. While some of the magazine’s illustrations were provided by artist-travellers or proprietors, others were contributed by men stationed abroad with specific designations, such as soldiers, naval officers and government officials on foreign stations. They became sources for visual information on India’s… Read more »

Lokapurusha

The Lokapurusha is the man who symbolises the universe in Jain cosmology. He appears in Jain cosmograms, like the one above, and the worlds of the gods, humans and the damned are mapped on his body. Urdhva Loka, the world of gods, is situated on his upper torso and dotted with images of shrines. Manushya… Read more »