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JULES STEWART Spying for the Raj: The Pundits and the Mapping of the Himalaya
Stroud, Sutton Publishing. 2006, 1st Edition. (ISBN: 0750942002) Hard Cover with dust jacket, 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. A pundit (or pandit) is a Hindu Brahmin who has memorised a substantial portion of the Hindu scriptures. In the second half of the nineteenth century, however, the term was used to denote native surveyors, who explored regions to the north of India for the British Raj. The British initially sent army officers to map these countries, but the task was fraught with danger. In the 1860s, Captain Thomas Montgomerie realised that the solution was to train natives from Indian border states to be surveyors, and have them explore the region covertly. These men, known as pundits, were disguised as traders or lamas (holy men). This is the first book devoted to these servants of the Raj who managed to map the Himalayas, Tibet and surrounding areas with remarkable precision, thereby helping the British to consolidate their rule in the Indian sub-continent. New/New.
Offered for GBP 10.00 = appr. US$ 19.90 by: Allen Williams Books - Book number: 150029
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