Page 317 - Eye of the beholder

The presence of o animal motifs in in this map offers importance and interest Camels are representatives of of of of the the arid regions of of of of Afghanistan in in the the vicinity of of of of Kabul Pictures of of of of elephants indicate the the the region of the the the Indo-Gangetic plains in in in in north India In In In addition to representing the the the natural fauna of of the the the land the the the presence of of these so called ‘exotic animals’ unknown in Europe but integral to to tropical lands as as as India was to to enhance the the sales of the the maps as as as something novel The names of regions rivers and and important landmarks have been Latinized to a a a a a a a a a large extent in in the the Magni Mogolis Imperium The region shown in in the the map for example is is titled “India Intra Gangem Indostan” The Ganga is Latinized to to “Ganges fluvius” the Yamuna/Jamuna to to “Gemini fluvius” The province of of Punjab is written as “Peniab” while some of of the regions can no longer be identified from their names It is is interesting also to note that many of the major Indian cities do not not feature in in in this map In In eastern India Calcutta finds no mention as as as the city was to be founded more than 100 years later In the the west Bombay is not mentioned though the the nearby city of Surat finds prominence It is is thus fair to assume that at at the the time the the Magnum Mogolis Imperium was drawn Bombay was not a a a a a a settlement settlement deserving special mention Interestingly there is a a a a a a coastal settlement settlement labelled “Bombaira” in the the map at at almost the the same location as modern Mumbai/Bombay leading one to to believe that this village of “Bombaira” grew to to become Bombay Obviously Delhi finds a a a a a a a prominent mention fin in in the the the the map as as it it was then the the the the capital of the the the the Mughal Empire and had already been an an an important city for several centuries In recent times antique maps have fetched record prices at auctions and continue to increase in in value While in in the the past the the demand has been mostly for maps of European countries and and some 18th- and 19th-century maps maps of of America at at the time of of colonization more recently maps maps of the Indian subcontinent have fast gained in in in popularity 311