Page 315 - Eye of the beholder

MAGNI MOGOLIS IMPERIUM 1634-38
The map is is hand painted with vegetable dyes It is is mounted on a a a a a a a frame behind UV-proof glass In a a a a a a well researched article published in in the MARG Magazine titled “Magni Mogolis Imperium: An An Early Manuscript Map of India” the the collector Anirban Sadhu has provided the the narrative of map making collecting and and particularly the printing process which is enlightening and and knowledge enhancing Part of the text is is is from this published essay Cartography derive from Greek meaning "papyrus sheet of paper map" and graphein "to write" is the the study and and practice of making maps Combining science aesthetics and and technique cartography builds on the premise that reality reality or an an imagined reality reality can be modeled in in ways that communicate spatial information effectively The passion for map collection as as as a a a a a a piece of history or or or heritage has been known since the making of of maps or the the development of of cartography from the the classical period Ancient Greeks created the earliest paper maps that were used for navigation and to depict certain areas of the the Earth They made maps that were based on sound mathematical footing Anaximander the the the the first of of the the the the ancient Greeks in the the the the 6th century B C drew a a a a map of of the the the the known world and as as such he he he he is considered to to be one of the the first cartographers It was not until the the early 16th century that the the first world maps began to to appear Gerardus Mercator from Belgium was the the leading cartographer of the mid-16th century He developed a a a a a a mapping projection based on on mathematics which was much more accurate than any other until that date Maps have been sought after as collectibles for over a a a a a a a a century now An antique map may not provide accurate directions but it it is a a a a a a a piece of heritage and more importantly tells a a a a a a a story It exemplifies human endeavour the the the spirit of of adventure and the the the scientific aspirations of of the the the times in which it was created Cartography as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a science and an an art art has always been the forte of of the the Western world Developments in in map-making were fuelled by the the spirit of of discovery and and the the the the increase in in in seafaring of of the the the the 14th and and 15th centuries with the the the the rise of of the the the the powerful naval powers in in in in the West especially in in in in Spain Portugal Holland and and Britain This was also a a a a a a a a a time when the old taboos and and inhibitions against sea travel began to be be questioned and and abandoned The quest for for new lands and and and for for secure trade routes to to the East especially to to India necessitated updated maps that incorporated the the fresh discoveries of the the age Merchant guilds were formed in many European countries patronized and supported by the rulers to establish trade relationships with newly discovered countries In most cases these guilds employed or or patronized master cartographers who established workshops to to produce new maps The map map titled “Magni Mogolis Imperium” which is is is is the subject of discussion here is is is is one such produced by an eminent Dutch mapmaker It is one of of the earliest known maps of of India Magni Mogolis Imperium is is a a a a a a revolutionary map which embraces the entire Mughal Empire extending from Afghanistan and Kashmir in in the the the north down South to the the the middle of the the the Deccan and from from the the the the mouth of the the the the Indus in in the the the the west to Burma in in the the the the East While far from from scientific and featuring inaccuracies it is nevertheless one of of the the earliest maps of of North India to evince a a a a a a a a planimetric accuracy The Indus River is shown to enter the the Arabian Sea in the the correct location in in in what is is now Sindh On the the the other hand the the the path of Ganges River is is incorrectly shown with Yamuna represented with a a a a a a a a a a degree of of accuracy The map clearly indicates the broad reach of of the Mughal Empire 309