IFP prepares historical digital atlas

Updated on: Monday, November 30, 2009

Puducherry: After the successful launch of a historical atlas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in digital format, the French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP), in association with four universities in southern states, has moved to the next phase to prepare a similar atlas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The digital atlas is the first of its kind in India, which presents archaeological, historical, cultural, economic and social data on south India with geographical information system functionalities. It gives complete information on historical places, textual and photographic records collected from field surveys, archaeological reports, inscriptions, and literature in chronological order from prehistoric times to the 17th century.

The IFP, in association with the Tamil University of Thanjavur, Mahatma Gandhi University of Kottayam, Mangalore University and Hyderabad University, undertook the novel project and has completed a pilot project to prepare a digital atlas of the next phase on selected locations - Shimoga in Karnataka and

Telangana in Andhra Pradesh. Ford Foundation funded the ambitious project.

“The digital atlas enables superimposing several layers of information on cultural, economic, political and social character of southern India on a single slide over a period of time from prehistoric times to the 17th century AD just by a click of the mouse, which is not feasible in the conventional hardcopy atlas,” Y Subbarayalu, the project’s coordinator and head of IFP’s department of Indology, told The Times of India.

The institute has hosted the digital atlas on its website and proposes to launch a CD on the historical digital atlas of south India shortly.

Experts have started collecting complete data on archaeological, historical, cultural and social characteristics of the two states over a period of time and have begun mapping the entire areas of two states. They propose to complete the project within three years.

IFP prepares historical digital atlas

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