New Delhi: From the Yamuna once flowing close to the Red Fort to the green and blue stretches that have since disappeared, an exhibition of rare maps opens a window into Delhi’s landscapes long before the modern city took shape. Old Delhi — then called Dihlee — appears lush and fluid in these maps, far removed from today’s dense sprawl. The exhibition, The Romance of Old Maps: Tracing Lost Landscapes, drawn from the archives of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 7pm. Featuring maps dating from 1807 to 1984, it traces the evolution of the city’s natural systems, water bodies and routes that have since been altered or erased.A map from 1807 shows a vast green space which is now known as the Old Railway Station. Subsequent maps from the period depict how the River Yamuna changed its course in the city. The journey of maps from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century captures the steady replacement of forests and wetlands with concrete structures. Manu Bhatnagar, principal director, INTACH, said research required for conservation efforts in various parts of the country often led to the acquisition of old maps. “These maps often reveal natural features and urbanisation patterns which advance our understanding of the past and indicate directions for the future. The display includes maps of Delhi from 1807 to 1984. Waterbody features picked out from these maps led to the addition and protection of major waterbodies in north Delhi. The maps also show the original extent of the morphological Ridge far beyond the present-day protected Ridge,” said Bhatnagar. How the maps reached INTACH is a story in itself. “They were sourced from scrap dealers in Chandni Chowk, flea markets in London and shops in Shimla over several decades,” Bhatnagar added. Historian Swapna Liddle said the maps from 1803 show how many streams from the ridges used to meet a water channel in the southern parts of the city. “This was once the city’s natural drainage system. Unplanned development has disrupted it, leaving water with nowhere to go and causing urban flooding after every heavy spell of rain,” she said. Apart from maps depicting the gradual fading of natural features, the exhibition includes guide maps, army manoeuvre maps, cantonment plans and bazaar maps, offering a perspective on the city’s social, military and commercial life. The display extends beyond Delhi, featuring early maps of Nainital, Simla and Mussoorie; a survey of Mt Everest; Swami Pranavananda’s 1929 route of Kailash Mansarovar; an 1822 map of India’s major rivers; and order-of-battle maps from the World War I, with a token representation of battles such as Neuve Chapelle, where Subedar Darwan Singh Negi of the 39th Garhwal Rifles earned the Victoria Cross.
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