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mention in the map, as it was then the capital of the Mughal empire, and had already been an important city for several centuries.
Maps of India, much distorted in shape, appear in most world atlases from the time of Ptolemy. The earliest maps showed India as
a small stump protruding from South Asia, while the island of Taprobana (Sri Lanka) was shown disproportionately larger. This trend of showing India much smaller than its actual size continued until the 17th century. The “MMI” does not show India in its entirety, but there are some fascinating errors in the representation of certain places which make the map interesting. One of these is the representation of “Lake Chiamay” – a nonexistent mythical lake where many of
the great rivers of South Asia were thought to have their origin (figure 4). The earliest mention of the “Chiamay Lacus” or the “Lake of Chiang Mai” occurs in a Portuguese report dating from the 1540s. Thereafter,
the lake finds mention in various reports of varying authenticity. However, by the mid- 1500s, the legend of the lake had become quite well established, and this featured in maps till the 18th century when finally in 1837 the McLeod and Richardson mission finally disproved its existence.
Overall, however, the “MMI” is quite an accurate map for its time. More than that, it embodies the collective effort and knowledge of numerous explorers, scientists, and adventurers of its time. In addition, the sheer amount of dedication, effort, and attention to detail that went into the colouring and preparation of each copy of the map is phenomenal. As in other maps of the period, “MMI” also feature elaborate cartouches, with the title inscribed in a colour-shaded cartouche at the top left corner, while
the bottom left corner has a much more elaborate cartouche containing the seal and the details of the publisher and the printer (figures 5 and 6).
The beauty and aesthetics of the “MMI” are better appreciated when we compare it
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The depiction of the mythical Lake Chiamay is one of the most important highlights of the “MMI”. Even though no one had ever seen the lake, popular wisdom attributed it to be 180 leagues in circumference, with the surrounding lands abounding in silver, copper, tin, and lead.
to other maps produced in much later times. Though the corpus of geographical knowledge got larger, and the technology of copperplate engraving improved with time, few of the maps of later ages match the finesse of the “MMI”. A case in point is the map of Bengal Histoire Generale des Voyages titled “Nouvelle Carte du Royaume de Bengale” (A New
Map of the Kingdom of Bengal), from Abbe Antoine Francois Prevost’s 15-volume Histoire Generale Des Voyages.
Abbe Prevost (April 1, 1697 – December 23, 1763) was an eminent French writer
and novelist born in Hesdin. Probably
better known for his romantic titled Manon Lescaut, Prevost is also well known for his Histoire Generale des Voyages published in Paris between 1746 and 1759. According
to popular consensus, parts of the book were completed even after Prevost’s death, and a few posthumous editions were
also published. The book was supposed
to embody all the extant geographical knowledge, and borrowed heavily from the observations and writings of many predecessors. It was rich in illustrations depicting the daily life, geography, history, royalty, and the exotica of far-off lands.
5
A picture of the main cartouche of the “MMI”, containing the title of the map. The graceful curves and decorative contours are further accentuated by the sophisticated use of hand colouring.
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An Early Manuscript Map
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