Patna: Patna’s renowned Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, the proud possessor of the world’s only extant copy of ‘Tarikh-e-Khandan-e-Timuriyah’, has decided to reproduce the Mughal-era manuscript in digitized facsimile and also publish its hard copies by April this year.
The manuscript in Persian, dating back to AD 1577-78, is one of the 238 items identified from across the world and listed in the Unesco’s prestigious Memory of the World Register (MWR). The text recounts the history of the Timurids (Taimur and his descendants) in Iran and India. It was written 22 years into the reign of emperor Akbar.
The 338-page manuscript, made of handmade paper of sharp cream colour with a slight ivory gloss, also contains 133 illustrations on the theme of sieges and battles.
Some of the miniatures contain the names of leading contemporary painters, including Daswant, Miskeen, Madho Mukund, Haidar Kashmiri, Miskeen, Manohar and Basawan.
The Unesco’s website says Tarikh-e-Khandan-e-Timuriyah is part of the most precious documentary heritage of the world, representing the most exquisite cultural history of the Timurids and their artistic genius which influenced not only India but the world as a whole.
“Though we plan to reproduce a digitized facsimile edition, the heritage manuscript won’t be uploaded online. The hard copies are, of course, meant for circulation,” library director Imtiaz Ahmad said and attributed the move to the fact that its inclusion in the MWR in May last year has generated renewed interest in it among scholars and history lovers.
The Unesco’s MWR programme, as per its practice, offered monetary assistance for safe preservation of the unique manuscript. “But we did not accept it since we are adequately funded by the government of India,” Ahmad said and added as early as 2006 the manuscript was identified as a ‘Manuscript Treasure of India’ by the Union ministry of culture.
According to Ahmad, the manuscript is kept in an iron safe under double lock-and-key system with one key in his possession and the other in the possession of Patna divisional commissioner.
The MWR items belong to 11 countries, including Bulgaria, Fiji, Guyana, Ireland, Japan, Mongolia and Morocco. It covers various kinds of material, including stone, celluloid, parchment and audio recordings.
The register was launched in 1992 to “guard against collective amnesia through preservation of the valuable archive holdings and library collections” all over the world.
