63k Maps of Kumaun and British Garhwal of 1867 to 1879

The Gurkhas of Nepal expanded their territory and conquered the areas of Kumaun and Garhwal in the 1790s, and ruled these territories with an iron fist.  The Hon. East India Company eyed these Northern territories as potential trade routes leading to Tibet and China, and in 1814 war broke out between the EIC and Nepal.  The 1816 Treaty of Segowlee concluded the war between the East India Company and Nepal.  Article 5 defined the Kali River as the Western border of Nepal, ceding to the British the territories of Kumaon and Garhwal lying West of the river.  Immediately following the conclusion of the war, the Survey of India surveyors were able to enter these territories to begin the difficult task of mapping this mountainous area.  The first topographically surveyed maps at a scale of 1 inch per mile were issued in 1867, but it wasn’t until 1879 that the topographical survey was completed and the last of the set of 38 maps were issued. 

The present collection includes 29 of the 38 original maps in this series, showing parts of the Indo-Tibet and Indo-Nepal borders and multiple Himalayan peaks.  Hill shading is used to display the shapes of the hills and valleys, since in these early days of mountain mapping the more modern system of contour mapping was not yet available.