Old Map of Bengal

Historical Background

James Rennell’s A Map of Bengal, Bahar, Oudes & Allahabad with Part of Agra and Delhi was published in London by William Faden in 1786. Its subtitle describes the map’s central purpose: to exhibit the course of the Ganges from Hurdwar to the sea. The sheet follows the river through a large and varied landscape, joining the delta and Bengal to inland provinces that were connected by trade, administration and the routes of the East India Company. Rennell had served as Surveyor General in Bengal, and his work helped make the region legible to British officials and readers at a time when Company authority was expanding.

Map Details

• Original title: A Map of Bengal, Bahar, Oudes & Allahabad with Part of Agra and Delhi, Exhibiting the Course of the Ganges from Hurdwar to the Sea
• Cartographer: James Rennell
• Publisher: William Faden, London
• Date: 1786
• Area shown: Bengal, Bahar, Oude and Allahabad, with parts of Agra and Delhi
• Map features: The Ganges river system, regional boundaries, engraved relief and a decorative cartouche

Following the Ganges

The river is the map’s organising feature. It carries the eye from Hurdwar through the north Indian plain toward the branching delta, where channels divide and rejoin before reaching the Bay of Bengal. This is not an isolated river portrait: settlements and provincial names are placed in relation to its course, making waterways and overland connections part of one geographic picture. The named areas reflect the terminology of the period and do not correspond neatly to today’s borders.

At the western edge of the subject lie Allahabad and parts of Agra and Delhi; farther east the map opens into Bengal and its network of waterways. The combination of a long river corridor and clearly differentiated regions gives the sheet its scale. Its geography can be followed from broad provincial divisions down to individual names and tributaries.

Surveying and political geography

Rennell’s experience in Bengal informed a style of mapping that joined observation with the needs of government. In 1786, the East India Company was no longer merely a trading enterprise: after the grant of revenue-collecting rights in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa in 1765, it was increasingly involved in governing territory. The map should therefore be read as both a geographic record and a product of that political moment. Its careful regional divisions and river routes helped distant readers understand an area that Company officials were administering and exploiting.

Cartouche, colour and engraved detail

The title cartouche, set among decorative figures and landscape, stands apart from the densely engraved geography. Hand-coloured boundaries mark the named provinces, while fine linework describes watercourses, settlements and the land between them. These elements reward close viewing: the decorative title signals the atlas plate’s presentation, while the river network and labels carry its practical information. The reproduction preserves the contrast between ornament and survey detail that makes this old map of Bengal compelling on the wall and at reading distance.