An ongoing exhibition at National Museum showcases original paintings of religious symbolisms from 15th to the 19th centuries, juxtaposed with historical maps of India. Riya Sharma talks to the curators
Puri and the holy shrine of Jagannath in the 16th century were known to devotees through word of mouth. Those who were then lucky enough to visit the holy site brought with them stories and memories, which actually worked as the basis for re-creating a detailed description of the shrine through a painting, the tentative steps towards mapping. With changing time, the understanding of place and space changed from memory to distance depending on the geographical area, altitude and accurate direction.
The shift from religion, philosophy and pilgrimage to scales, directions and accuracy represents the journey from cosmology to cartography. Cosmology deals with the representation of the world through spiritual and mythological visions usually done through paintings, whereas cartography deals with more accurate and scientific depiction through maps.
The exhibition at National Museum on Cosmology to Cartography displays the journey of maps from spiritual understanding of the world to a more systematic, detailed portrayal of modern India. The Jain cosmic maps depicted the world, as given in mythology, with the references of three worlds portraying God as the Supreme power in the chariots, human beings in the middle and the preta (type of supernatural) at the bottom.
A painting of Vraj Yatra was made with an attempt to recreate the magic and essence of the yatra though the eyes of devotees and priests. Images from the Krishna temple are the faithful depiction of the complex, haveli-like temple. “These paintings are accurate in terms of architectural layout. These paintings were sometimes created by the priests or the devotees but there were times when they would call an artist to work on the minute details,” says Vivek Nanda, london-based Indian architect. He adds that not only the depiction of the shrine is painted but the landmarks were also made to know the important locations.
The work of making these maps via paintings had been done with a lot of care so that the life inside the shrine could be experienced by someone looking at the map. “These maps are experiential and theological,” says Anand.
The city temples of Jagannath and Rath Yatra represent not only the culture and traditions but also the layouts of the shrine giving details of the main temple and the areas adjacent to it. The paintings were made in such a way so as to give the detailed description of a place. In the paintings of Jagannath and Rath Yatra, the depiction of a river and chariots is equally important as the shrine and the yatra.
But, if we look in the realm of cartography, we witness a dramatic rapture in the metaphysical and spiritual world of Indian traditions. With the advent of Vasco de Gama, the increase in foreign invasion increased and measurements of territorial spaces and cities became important. As Europeans began to enter what they called “Hindostan”, there were apprehensions and doubts regarding the direction of a city. “Earlier map depictions of India show Delhi near Hyderabad. They thought Delhi was in the interiors and there is a possibility that they sent someone who had no idea about directions,” says Alex.
The first map of northern India prepared by Europeans in 1625 was based on Mughal sources. “The information was given to the first ambassador of England, Thomas Roe by the Mughal court. He was the chess partner of Jahangir,” says Alex Johnson, ancient-maps expert. Interestingly, the first accurate map of Bengal was made by East India Company for their profit motive. Their priority was the wealth and that’s why we see a detailed depiction of all the factories and forts in the map.
If the cosmic maps are based on the premises of spiritual and mythological visions then maps in cartography deal with profit, political interest and an aim to establish a dominion status. The later maps deal with itinerary, towns, trade, conflict for possession and dominance. “The conflict between Portuguese and Europeans to get the accurate layout of Indian cities was needed for their interest in spices, commerce and wealth. Some of the maps of Indian cities were smuggled to Venice,” says Johnson.
Cosmic maps were mainly hand-drawn, usually on a piece of a cloth. There were three types of printing — wood-cut, copper and stone. Woodcut printing was done when an image was carved into the surface of a block or wood. The other type was done on a copper plate and lithography, which was actually done on a stone. On the other hand, cartographic maps are part of trigonometric surveys. They focus more on accuracy, structures and detailed description of a planned city.
The maps also tell the story of innovations that changed the scenario of Indian society, such as completion of Indian railways. By the 20th century, Indian cartographers also took centrestage, thereby forging a coherent sense of Indian identity which led to the independence movement.