This is a reproduction of maps drawn by Colonel Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Gentil in 1770, and his maps were based on an indigenous atlas that was given to him. Gentil went to India as a French soldier in 1752 and eventually helped Mughal princes in their battles and negotiations with the British. He had a great interest in Indian painting, geography, history, and culture. The maps apparently had no effect on European cartography even though they contained more accurate political divisions and place names that were unknown to the colonial cartographers.
