Uttarakhand maps

nyraghu

The Uttarakhand Solidarity Network has two Web pages for maps:

http://uttarakhand.prayaga.org/maps.html There is a nice map here of Trans-Himalayas in medieval times.

http://andolan.prayaga.org/?page_id=198 The historical and linguistic maps here are interesting. I haven't checked out the Google Earth stuff.

These maps are for general use, and are not detailed enough for treks or travel in the region.

Raghu.

Dilliwala

Some interesting maps there, Raghu, especially the old one.
I wonder what Kartikeyapur, not far from Shrinagar, is called now? Any guesses?

capt_mahajan

I think it is Baijnath.

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nyraghu

The Captain is right. I had no guesses to make, but found this in Atkinson's Gazzetteer [vol.2, p.468]. Around the 8th century AD, the Katyur dynasty, which ruled the region in those days, moved from Joshimath to a place near present-day Baijnath in Kumaon, and built there a city called Kartikeyapur after a son of Shiva. Baijnath is towards the NE of Srinagar, and not SE as shown in the map in question. But then, it is an ancient map, and perhaps reflects the state of geographical knowledge at that time.

One Web site which I have often found useful says that Kartikeyapur was an old name for Joshimath. Perhaps a mistake. In any case, the map in question clearly shows both Joshimath and Kartikeyapur as distinct places.

For me the interest in the map, apart from its looks, is in its clear depiction of the famous route across the Mana Pass from Badrinath to Tsaparang, Tholing and Gartok in the Guge province of Tibet. Apparently, Adi Sankara travelled along that way, and later the Jesuit priest Antonio de Andrade in the 17th century.

Raghu.

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capt_mahajan

My lucky guess was based on the fact that they were the Katyur dynasty and Baijnath is in the Katyur valley.

Piyush

Captain is right.....According to my knowledge after Kausani till Gwaldam all comes under Katyur dynasty...Baijnath..Garur etc

Dilliwala

Now this I did not know - I've heard of the Katyura dynasty many times, but didn't know that there was a Katyur valley too. Shame on me

nyraghu

Me neither, I too grovel. Returning to Atkinson, loc. cit., I learnt that ever after the Katyur dynasty moved from Joshimath to Kartikeyapur in the valley of the river Gomti, that valley came to be known as the Katyur valley.

Raghu.

Dilliwala

Kartikeyapur, Katyur, - aaaah, now I see a connection.
EDIT - Fascinating with these place names: Mana - Manibhadrapuri, as I was reminded a few weeks ago on location; different states, but Ranthambhor - Ransthambhpur, Kullu - Kulantpith (ok, I better stop, this will need a new thread! )

More shame on me - I have 3 of the 6 volumes of Atkinson's Himalayan Gazetteer (the ones with the alphabetical list) sitting not 5 metres away for the last 3 YEARS, and haven't opened them yet! I really need to go on that reading trip, Raghu. Wanna come along?

nyraghu

Dilliwala, revisiting this forum after a day, I missed your post earlier. Didn't know that about Mana. But, as you said, perhaps in a new thread.

Thanks, that would be indeed an informative journey!

Raghu.

Dilliwala

And I've found just the one:
Renaming of towns and cities

Why wud I even think that a new thread was required?

I'm going to be posting a few examples of a.m. derivations there, but not the modern/political ones. Done with those.