'View in the Tinnevele District, East India'. Engraving by Letitia Byrne after the painting by Thomas Daniell - 1809

Engraving by Letitia Byrne (1779-1849) after the painting by Thomas Daniell (1749-1849) entitled 'View in the Tinnevele District, East India', (Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu), published in 1809. Between March 1792 and April 1793 Thomas and William Daniell travelled through South India, which at that time had been little explored by the British, and were extremely impressed by the great temples and grandiose scenery of this part of the country. At the beginning of the 18th century Tirunelveli was under the control of local chiefs who eventually succumbed to the Nawabs of Arcot. The Tirunelveli District, the last phase of the Daniells journey southwards, was ceded to the East India Company in 1801 and surveys were carried out from 1806 onwards.

Source : British Library