The library, thrown open to public on 29th October, 1891, is known the world over for its collection of manuscripts. Four manuscripts – two in Arabic and two in Persian – have been declared as VIGYAN NIDHI (Manuscript Treasure of India) by the National Mission for Manuscripts in 2006
Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library is the pride of Patna, the capital of Bihar, an eastern state of India. Boasting a treasure trove of about 21,000 rarest of the rare manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Urdu, English, Hindi and Sanskrit and over 2.5 lakh printed books, this over 125-year-old library specialises in Islamic history and literature, as also Indian medieval history.
What also sets this library apart is the fact that it has gone the extra mile to preserve and disseminate the wealth of knowledge contained in its rich collection.
Given the immense historical and intellectual value of its priceless collection, the Government of India declared the library an Institution of National Importance by an act of Parliament in 1969. Functioning under the ministry of culture, Government of India, this library has undertaken the task to digitize its manuscripts for easier dissemination across the globe. Digitization of the whole collection is proposed to be completed in the next two years.
**********************************************************************
Library is short of hands, funds
Khuda Bakhsh Library is currently facing a crunch of both manpower and funds, hampering its research and development works.
It has a sanctioned strength of 60 employees but has only 28 on its rolls at present. There are only two or three for undertaking academic works like translation and editing, to preserve and disseminate its rich collection.
“The library’s fellowship programme is currently on hold, as a dismal amount of Rs 50,000 is available for this purpose. Under the capital head, the allocation has gradually come down from Rs 45 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. It once used to offer 13 fellowships, with seven universities recognising it for research work,” says director Dr Shayesta Khan.
“We need more funds for research and development, for acquiring equipment for digitisation and maintenance of library buildings. Separate funds are required for translation work and modernisation of the reading room. Bihar government is currently giving only Rs 4 lakh per annum to the library. We have taken up the matter with the state government,” said Dr Khan.
**********************************************************************
The library, thrown open to public on 29th October, 1891, is known the world over for its collection of manuscripts. Four manuscripts – two in Arabic and two in Persian – have been declared as VIGYAN NIDHI (Manuscript Treasure of India) by the National Mission for Manuscripts in 2006.
Listing some the rarest of the rare manuscripts, incumbent director Dr Shayesta Khan said, “One among them is the Tarikh-i-Khandan-i-Timuriya, a history of the Mughal dynasty commissioned by Emperor Akbar. It is the only copy of this manuscript in the world. It sheds light on the Central Asia emperor, Taimur. The manuscript has hundreds of paintings depicting the socio-cultural aspects of that era.”
“Another is Diwan-e-Hafiz, a collection of verses of the Persian poet, Hafiz. It carries the notes of Mughal emperors Humayun and Jehangir in their own handwriting. It was used for determining omen (auspicious or inauspicious) for various activities.”
“Moreover, the library has a rich collection of manuscripts of Koran, which are illuminated in gold. Illustrated manuscripts of Ramayana and Bhagwat Gita, Upanishads translated into Persian by Mughal prince Dara Shikoh, and the first Hindi dictionary got prepared by Aurangzeb in AD 1674, are among other rare manuscripts. Aurangzeb had got this dictionary prepared to help teach Hindi to his son through the medium of Persian,” Dr Shayesta Khan said.
Some of the manuscripts are from the personal collections of Mughal emperor Shah Jehan and his daughter, Princess Jahanara, as can be seen from the seals on them. A copy of famous English poet Lord Byron’s poem ‘Ode to Napoleon’ has two additional stanzas written in his own handwriting, and there is the original copy of Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte written by his childhood friend.
During the last 50 years, the library has organised about 200 extension lectures, talks, group discussions and debates. International seminars have covered Islamic Mysticism, Tibb (Unani medicine), Quranic sciences and Medieval Indian History, among other subjects, followed by several other seminars.
Dr A R Bedar, who was director of the library from 1972 to 1996, has the lion’s share of credit for the development and expansion of the library and its activities.
Dissemination and preservation of knowledge at the library has gained pace once again after Dr Shayesta Khan, daughter of Dr Bedar, took over as director on April 15, 2019 after the library remained without a director for a few years.
“About 35 books of research and reference value have been published in the last 30 months. As many lectures and academic programmes have been held. Some books have been published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. About 12 issues of the quarterly journal in Hindi, English and Urdu have been published in this period, after the publication remained suspended for about five years. A book on the cultural history of Bihar has been published in Urdu and is planned to be translated into Hindi.”
This library is the labour of love of Khuda Bakhsh, a lawyer, who spent almost all of his life earnings on acquiring rare manuscripts. His father had bequeathed him a collection of 1400 manuscripts and expressed the desire that he establish a library in Patna.
With the fall of the Mughal empire in the 18th century, the rich Mughal collections had been disbursed and were available to a buyer. Khuda Bakhsh went on buying manuscripts with single-minded devotion, so much so that he went into debt and had to be bailed out by the British government with a grant. British Museum had once offered him a big sum for his collections but he had politely declined the offer.
************************************************************************
Readers
These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.
Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world. We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.
Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.
In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.
For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com