Map Showing the British Possessions on the North West Frontier of India and the adjacent States.

This map shows the former Sikh Empire and its partition after the Second Anglo Sikh War of 1848-9. It shows Jammu and Kashmir as an independent State while the rest of the area is shown under British rule.

Parliamentary Papers maps were issued for administrative purposes and the work of the Civil Service. They are usually thematic, focusing on one particular geographical aspect. They are also extremely rare, as they were printed in very small numbers for administrative use only.

Historically for the Punjab, this map is extremely interesting. It shows the area after the dissolution of the Sikh Empire which reached its nadir under Ranjit Singh. After his death, it sank into multiple court intrigues around his succession which resulted in two Anglo-Sikh Wars, the second of which was in 1848-9 and which was disastrous for the Sikhs. The result was the annexation of the Empire which is illustrated on this map. 

The green outlined area in the north is labelled as "Ghobal Sings Dominions" which refer to the area granted to Maharaja Gubal Singh, who was installed by the British as the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir. Within the former empire is also a small area labelled as "Sikh States under British Protection". The rest of the region is mainly shown as British with small enclaves also shown as being "under protection."


Original colour. [IC3067]