At The Edge

"[…] the annexed Chinese Map of India, originally copied by M.Klaproth from the Great Japanese Encyclopedia for the illustration of the Foe koue ki. Although in some particulars it differs from the narrates of Hwan thsang and Shy fa hian, being the compilation of some unknown Chinese geographer, who probably gathered his materials from many and conflicting accounts. it will be found both useful and interesting at a time when public attention is directed to China for the most authentic particulars of the early history of this country." ~ Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Volume 17, Part 2, 1848. It was an addendum to Alexander Cunningham's detailing of Hiuen Tsang's route in India.

Not from wet dream of ultra-nationalist Indians and indo-pak peaceniks From 'This is India' by Peter Muir. Maps by Frances Muir.1943. It's a funny little book [ read here ], sample this from a chapter titled Gandhiana: "If Gandhi were on trail and under oath, he would unquestionably stick to what he believed to be the truth, but his technique of circumlocution, indirection, and irresponsible self-contradiction gives the impression that evasion, not clarification, is his aim.There is no necessity to interpret the language of Rajagopalachari, whose vocabulary in English is no larger that Gandhi's. But few Indians, even, would volunteer to translate the meaning of Gandhi's utterances, his style is so successfully abstruse." While in a chapter on Jinnah titled 'Mr.Jinnah rolls up a Rug' Peter Muir say's had Jinnah been head of a Christian organisation, he would have been named Jesus Christ Jones. Actually the chapter is a take on caste pol...

Another interesting find at World Digital Library (click to get a bigger image) Map of India in the Age of the Mahabharata This undated 20th-century map, published in Pune (formerly Poona), India, shows place names in India associated with the Mahābhārāta , one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana ). The title of the map is in Marathi; the place names are in Sanskrit. Mahābhārata can be translated as "the great tale of the Bharata Dynasty.” Most likely composed between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D., this enormously long epic recounts the story of the dynastic struggle and civil war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas in the Kingdom of Kurukshetra that took place in about the ninth century B.C. Date Created: 20th century Publication Information: Deccan Printing Works, Poona, India Language: Marathi, Sanskrit Title in Original Language: Mahābhāratakālīna Bhāratavarshācā nakāśā Physical Description of map:  45 x 38 centimeters...