Maps : Map of the Maingnyaung region, located between the Chindwin and Mu Rivers in Upper Burma, in the present-day Sagaing Re...

Maps

<p style='text-align: justify;'><b>Map of the Maingnyaung region, located between the Chindwin and Mu Rivers in Upper Burma, in the present-day Sagaing Region</b></p><p style='text-align: justify;'>One of three maps of parts of Burma (now Myanmar) presented to Cambridge University Library by Louis Allan Goss in 1910 and now available for viewing in Cambridge Digital Library. By 1886 Goss was Inspector of Schools in Burma and after his retirement he was paid by the Indian Government to teach Burmese language at Cambridge University. All three maps (Maps.Ms.Plans.c.1, <a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='/view/MS-MAPS-MS-PLANS-R-C-00002/1'>Maps.Ms.Plans.c.2</a> and <a target='_blank' class='externalLink' href='/view/MS-MAPS-MS-PLANS-R-C-00003/1'>Maps.Ms.Plans.c.3</a>) were painted by Burmese artists on cloth (hand woven cotton in various grades) in ca. 1860. The Library is grateful to The Anstruther Literary Trust for Rare Books for funds that have enabled the conservation of all three maps (the image shown here was taken before conservation). Although a small amount of research has been done on these maps, we hope that placing the images on the Cambridge Digital Library will promote greater awareness of their existence, and encourage more research into their origins and purpose.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>This map depicts an area in the north-west of Burma, in the present-day Sagaing region, an area called Maingnyaung when the map was drawn. The top of the map is east, and Maingnyaung city sits near the centre represented by brick walls surrounding a square – the four gaps presumably representing city gates. Burmese text on the map includes descriptions of natural landmarks by which the boundaries of the region can be identified. Village names are found in rectangles and it appears that red rectangles indicate villages under the jurisdiction of Maingnyaung whilst blue rectangles indicate villages outside its jurisdiction. We are grateful to Allegra Giovine for these, and other insights into this map.</p>