ABSTRACT
Until the middle of the 18th century, there was no proper knowledge of the geography of India although some traditional maps existed. Modern contributions in this respect came first from the Jesuit missionaries, based or travelling in different parts of India. As trading interests grew, territorial ambitions made it necessary to gather detailed geographical information and prepare maps. Soon after their victory in 1757 at the Battle of Plassey in Bengal, the British commenced scientific surveys to gain geographical knowledge of the land. This worked to their strategic advantage in reaching for the resources. It climaxed in the Great Trigonometrical Survey (GTS) as an extremely well-documented enterprise, both scientifically and administratively.
