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May 9, 2024 · Indo-Gangetic Plain, extensive north-central section of the Indian subcontinent, stretching westward from (and including) the combined delta of the Brahmaputra and Ganges (Ganga) rivers to the Indus River valley. The region contains the subcontinent’s richest and most densely populated areas.
- Overview
- Indo-Gangetic Plain
- The Deccan + the South
- The North + West
by Dr. Cristin McKnight Sethi
Understanding geography is particularly important for the study of art of South Asia, not only because the topography of the region is so diverse, but also because, for many who live on the subcontinent, the landscape itself is considered to be sacred and often appears as a main subject in works of art. Today, the region of South Asia can include the nation-states of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Scholars also use the term “Indian subcontinent” to refer to the broader region of mainland South Asia and the countries that comprise the geographic formation that dominates this southern part of Asia. Historically, the term “India” (or Hindustan) was used by people living outside this region to refer to the land beyond the Indus River.
Studying the geography of South Asia can also be a way to better understand the people who created or commissioned works of art. In addition, maps and depictions of landscapes can provide insight into transitions of political power, the territorial desires of rulers, as well as the places where artists lived and worked. Contemporary maps of the Indian subcontinent often utilize satellite images and focus on geo-political boundaries. But these contemporary maps are only one perspective of the geography of South Asia.
A Google map of South Asia captured today looks quite different from a map of the subcontinent made during the period of
, reminding us that countries (such as Bangladesh) or states (like Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Uttarakhand in India) were formed within the last several decades.
Early depictions of the geography of South Asia, such as allegorical paintings produced under Mughal patronage, suggest the importance of visually connecting the body of a ruler with a particular geographical territory. There are also visually complex maps of specific locations in South Asia that speak to the cultural potency of certain landscapes and the desire to visualize large urban centers and sacred pilgrimage sites.
One of the most famous rivers in South Asia is the Ganges River, which runs along the northern and eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent just below the Himalayan mountain range. The fertile land on either side of the Ganges River is known as the Gangetic Plain. This large region has long been home to important cities, artistic sites, and cultural activity. The Gangetic Plain encompasses present-day Bangladesh, parts of Nepal and Bhutan, as well as areas within the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal in India.
Another important river in South Asia, the Indus River, has also been a center for cultural activity for millennia. The Indus begins in the high mountains of western Tibet then flows down through Kashmir as well as through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Punjab, and Sindh provinces in Pakistan, ultimately emptying into the Arabian Sea, just south of the city of Karachi.
The Deccan Plateau is a large triangular plateau of basalt and granite that rises between the coastal mountain ranges of the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, just below the Vindhya mountains. The Deccan Plateau crosses the border of several states in India including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. Hist...
Between the Gangetic Plain (to the north and east), the Vindhya mountains (to the south), and the Indus River valley (to the west) is a small, but important region that includes the states of Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand in India. This northern and western region of the subcontinent has long been home to important artistic and cultural centers, including those of the great Rajput chiefs who were major patrons of art and architecture.
Understanding the geography of South Asia has never been a straight-forward task. Geo-political borders can be sources of tension, even violence, in South Asia today and often obscure shared artistic practices that cross or disrupt boundaries of contemporary nation-states. As historians and students of South Asian art it is helpful to remember that many borders are new, and that people of the past had very different conceptions of their home and their place within the world. Furthermore, while understanding geography is important for the study of South Asia, it provides only one perspective from which to explore the diverse visual and material culture from this region.
Dec 6, 2023 · These two rivers—the Indus and the Ganges—and their surrounding landscape form an area known as the Indo-Gangetic Plain, which crosses the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and includes both its northeastern and northwestern regions. Map of South Asia.
The Ganges (/ ˈ ɡ æ n dʒ iː z / GAN-jeez; in India: Ganga, / ˈ ɡ ʌ ŋ ɡ ɑː / GUNG-ah; in Bangladesh: Padma, / ˈ p ʌ d m ə / PUD-mə) is a trans-boundary river of Asia which flows through India and Bangladesh. The 2,525 km (1,569 mi) river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand.
1 day ago · South of the mountains is the Indo-Gangetic Plain, formed from the combined alluvial plains of the Indus, Ganges (Ganga), and Brahmaputra rivers, which lie in a deep marginal depression running north of and parallel to the main range of the Himalayas.
Jul 7, 2021 · Rising in the western Himalayas in the Indian State of Uttarakhand, the Ganges River flows for more than 2,525km across the Gangetic Plains in the northern part of India into Bangladesh, where it forms a huge delta with the Brahmaputra River before draining into the Bay of Bengal.
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