TIEFFENTHALER, Joseph. Bozen in South Tyrol (now Bolzano in Italy) 27.4.1710 — Lucknow 5.7.1785. S.J. Father. Austrian Missionary, Astronom and Geographer in India. Jesuit novice in 1729 in Landsberg, Bavaria, trained in Germany, beside theology learned mathematics, astronomy and geography. In 1740 to Spain, ordained priest 1743. Still in 1743 left Portugal for Goa, worked and travelled in northern India: from Surat via Baroda, Udaipur and Jaipur to Agra (taught at Agra Jesuit College until 1747), then went to the French settlement of Narwar and remained there until 1765 (although also travelling all the time in around Northern India). Finally the settlement had almost dwindled and as Portugal had forbidden the S,J. he went via Allahabad, Lucknow and Patna to Calcutta to resort to British. He was welcomed and helped and could again concentrate on exploration. Finally, in 1766-71 he made a particular survey of the Ganges and Ghogra keeping Lucknow as his base, resulting in three maps which he sent to Anquetil-Duperron, who often referred to him in his own studies. Then several years in Agra, with failing health returned to Lucknow in 1781.
Unsatisfied with the poor maps of Inner India Tieffenthaler started his geographical survey in western and northern India. Beside own observations he used oral informants and Persian written sources. He kept his papers in Lucknow, where they were destroyed by fire in 1757. He wrote an account in Latin based on his 30 years’ experience (1743-73), observations and studies. The manuscript was brought to Copenhagen, and the atronomer Bernoulli translated it into German. He was learned and reliable and his account, often based on first-hand observations, is an important document of 18th century India from Kabul to Deccan. It includes physical and natural features, manners, customs and religious beliefs, also arts, sculpture and monumental buildings. He sent manuscripts, maps and drawings to European scholars, but many of his writings are lost. He knew Arabic, Persian and Hindustani and probably some Sanskrit.
Publications: Historisch-geographische Beschreibung von Hindustan. 1-2. Berlin 1785-86; an 4° ed. enlarged with several appendices (i.al. from Rennell and Anquetil-Duperron). 1-3. B. 1785-88.
– Several lost studies, some letters preserved.
– Anquetil-Duperron: Carte général du cours du Gange et du Gagra dressée par les cartes particuliéres du P. Tieffenthaler. Paris 1784.
Sources: L. Fernando, “J.T. The Missionary Geographer”, ICHR 34, 2000, 38-50: *J.K. John, “The Mapping of Hindustan: a Forgotten Geographer of India, J.T. (1710–1785)”, Proc. of Indian Hist. Congress 58, 1997, 400-410; *J. Noti, J.T., S.J., A Forgotten Geographer of India. Bombay 1906; S.N. Sen, “Joseph Tieffenthaler and his Geography of Hindustan”, JASB 4:4, 1962, 75-99, 4 pl. & map; Windisch 14f.; briefly D.B.E. 10, 1999, 38; Wikipedia (see also German version).
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