The First Visual Exploration of India

1861

OTAS Team

Published in

NEVER SETTLE.

4 min readMar 1, 2015

Schlagintweit Brothers (Hermann, Adolf, and Robert) surveyed Indian subcontinent in 1850s. Their decade long journey was tough, thrilling and rewarding. At that time, even as of today, it was the longest survey by a single group in India. Their survey report “Results of a scientific mission to India and High Asia” is the first detailed and illustrated documentation of Indian terrain.

A Short Summery of Schlagintweit Brothers’ Travel

On 20.09.1854, Hermann, Robert and Adolph started their journey from Southhampton.
On 26.10.1854, they arrived in Bombay, the gate of India. They took different ways to cross South India and reached Madras.
From Madras, they came to Calcutta.
Hermann went on a journey along the Brahmaputra. He crossed Bengal and arrived Darjeeling, then moved towards North-east India and Bhutan.
On March 1856, Hermann returned to Calcutta.
Adolph and Robert traveled through Ganges to Almora and Nainital. subsequently, to Milum glacier.
In the summer 1855, Adolph and Robert crossed the Traillpasses (5416 mt) from Milum to enter the forbidden Tibet.
In August 1855, Adolph and Robert unsuccessfully attempted to climb the Kamet (6785 mt).

“It was the most arduous mountain mounting, which I’ve ever made.”
- Adolph Schlagintweit on the unsuccessful attempt to win Kamet

In the winter 1855, Adolph and Robert traveled separately through central and south India, then Calcutta, and eventually to the north India.
Adolph went to the Mustagh pass.
Hermann and Robert, arrive on different ways to Leh. Hermann’s route leads across the salt lakes. From Leh Hermann and Robert traveled together towards the North to the Karakorum pass.
In October 1856, the Brothers met in Srinagar for the last time.
Robert traveled to Karatshi (Karachi) then to Bombay and boarded on a ship towards Alexandria with majority of the collected data.
Hermann visited Nepal finally and left India.
Hermann and Robert reached Berlin on 17.06.1857.
Adolph traveled to Turkistan in the summer 1857. Riders of the Vali Kahn arrested Adolph. On 26.08.1857, Adolph is beheaded at the yard of the Kahn without negotiation.
Adolphs absence is greatly affected the analysis of the gigantic research material and a large portion of data remained unpublished.

Robert became a professor in Gießen (North of Frankfurt, Germany). Hermann spent the rest of his life for the scientific analysis of the collected data. Herman died on 19.01.1882. Robert died on 06.06.1885.

For the first time, modern geology, meteorology, ethnography and cultural history of the Indian subcontinent was studied extensively in this expedition. A collection of 751 pictures drawn during the journey shows the appearance of the Indian landscape, people and culture, and also serves as the area accuracy for cartographic purposes.

The report “Results of a scientific mission to India and High Asia” was published by Brockhaus, Leipzig and Trübner, London in 1861. During their survey, Schlagintweit Brothers created a large set images of views and panorama in aquarelle (thin water-color). Later, these paintings are reproduced in Lithogrpahs and Oil-painting. These are one of the oldest modern-time visual documentation of India.