Digitization of Old Maps from the Archives of Maharana Mewar Research Institute (MMRI)

One of our long-term projects is the digitization of old maps from across the archives of Maharana Mewar Research Institute (MMRI). By doing so, we can make the incredible treasure of knowledge and historical insights of Mewar available to scholars, historians, readers, and anyone interested in learning more about one of the world’s oldest heritages.

The MMRI was started in 1985 by Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar to preserve the age-old manuscripts and maps of the royal family of Mewar. The institute houses seminal documents, drawings, and maps – some of which date back to the 17th century and is a treasure for both national and international scholars. Manual cataloging of all the archived documentation is already complete, so we are now in the digitization and transcription process. Research in these archives has contributed to the scholarly output of hundreds of academics.

Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation has initiated the work of digitization of around 2000 historic maps that depict the state of Mewar, the topographic survey of the state of Rajasthan (Rajputana) and central India, household maps, palace maps, place in and around Udaipur, railways in India, and more.

150 maps have been digitized by the Photographic Studio of Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation with Camera LINHOF KARDAN re – 4×5” and RENCAY archive Scanback – 312 Megapixels (1,248 Megapixels with plus option).

As of 2019, Mr. Lalit Kumar Pathak of Consultant Lalit Pathak Paper and Arts Conversation, New Delhi, and his team have been engaged in documentation, condition assessment, and scientific studies leading to the conservation of the maps. They have documented 1400 maps to date.

Contributions to this project will greatly add to scholarly facilitation and promote further research on Mewar, along with preserving and sharing the heritage with all interested!