Rare Manuscripts
 5 Apr 2017 Rare Manuscripts
Two leaves from an illustrated manuscript, probably of the Ramayana
Shorapur, late 18th Century

Persian manuscript on paper, one and two columns of text in nasta'liq script in black ink with one heading in red, intercolumnar rules in black, inner margins ruled in colours and gold, probably trim... Read More
 19 Oct 2016 Rare Manuscripts
Rare Document:

Pakistan Declaration (titled Now or Never; Are We to Live or Perish Forever?) was a pamphlet written and published by Choudhary Rahmat Ali, on 28 January 1933, in which the word Pakstan (without the letter "i") was used for the first time and was presented in the Round Table confe... Read More
 14 Oct 2016 Rare Manuscripts
Essay:
Gandhi's 1942 Letter to FDR, Asking For Support For Indian Independence
By Rebecca Onion
Slate.com

In July, 1942, Mahatma Gandhi wrote this letter to Franklin Roosevelt to state his position on Indian independence and involvement in World War II. Offering respect for the people of the Un... Read More
 20 Sep 2016 Rare Manuscripts
The Susruta-Samhita or Sahottara-Tantra (A Treatise on Ayurvedic Medicine)
Nepal
Ink and opaque watercolor on palm leaf
18th-19th century

Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Read More
 7 Aug 2016 Rare Manuscripts
"These are further complemented by other Arabic manuscripts from early middle ages, including the copy of the Ashtiname of Muhammad, in which the Islamic prophet is claimed to have vouched for offering his protection to the monastery. Other ‘points’ of the Ashtiname (‘Holy Testament’) alluded to ... Read More
 10 Nov 2015 Rare Manuscripts
Tipu Sultan's Qur'an

View of pages from the Qur'an of Tipu Sultan. Shows text in the centre, surrounded by gold and blue illumination. Tipu Sultan was the Muslim ruler of Southern India's Mysore province (now part of Karnataka) during the late eighteenth century. Opposed to the British East Indi... Read More
 16 Oct 2015 Rare Manuscripts
Manuscript of the Devimahatmya (Story of the Great Goddess)
Nepal, Asia
1603 ca.
Wood with pigment, palm leaves, and ink

Durgā Saptashatī (दुर्गासप्तशती) Caṇḍī Pāṭha (चण्डीपाठः): pāṭha – "reading" – refers to the act of ritual reading. The text contains 700 (saptashata; "seven hundred") verses, ... Read More
 27 Apr 2015 Rare Manuscripts
Priest's Manual
Nepal, 15th century

Opaque watercolor and ink on paper

Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art Read More
 27 Apr 2015 Rare Manuscripts
Three Folios from a Book of Iconography
Nepal, 15th century

Opaque watercolor and ink on paper

Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art Read More
 12 Feb 2015 Rare Manuscripts
The Appearance of Shakyamuni (the Buddha) after His Death, Page from a Manuscript of the Majma' al-Tawarikh (Collection of Chronicles) of Hafiz-Abru
Afghanistan, Herat, circa 1425
Manuscripts; folios
Ink, opaque watercolor on paper.

Source: LACMA Read More
 6 Jul 2014 Rare Manuscripts
Manuscript, Asthasahasrika Prajnaparamita, palm leaf, painted, probably Nalanda monastery - ca. 1112

Seated Mahasri Tara. Illustrated palm-leaf folio from the Astasahasrikaprajnaparamita manuscript; from the Vredenburg Manuscript. According to the colophon, this manuscript was donated by a lay ... Read More
 22 Mar 2014 Rare Manuscripts
Article:
The Mewar Ramayana at the British Library in London
By Asha Kasbekar

Commissioned by Rana Jagat Singh of Mewar (1628–52), who as a Kshatriya and suryavanshi regarded himself a direct descendent of Lord Rama, the Mewar Ramayana is a collection of over 400 paintings in seven volumes produ... Read More
 22 Mar 2014 Rare Manuscripts
Article:
Hidden for 164 years, Mewar Ramayana paintings dazzle London
By Dipankar De Sarkar, IANS

London : Hidden away in the vaults of the British Museum for 164 years, more than 100 stunning paintings from the Ramayana, dating back to the 17th century, went on public display Friday at the Brit... Read More
 7 Dec 2013 Rare Manuscripts
Scale drawing in pen and black ink of the end or side of the Amphitheatre, part of the Coronation Durbar complex at Delhi in 1911. The drawing shows in detail the structure and decoration of the Amphitheatre. The balustrades, columns, façade and roof are all embellished with carved detailing. A s... Read More
 7 Dec 2013 Rare Manuscripts
Scale drawing in pen and black ink of the Throne Pavilion from the Coronation Durbar complex at Delhi in 1911. The drawing is a cross section of the Throne Pavilion, with dimensions and details of materials used in the construction. Detail is also given of the decoration of the balustrade surroun... Read More
 9 Nov 2013 Rare Manuscripts
Mahatma Gandhi's Last Will - September 23rd 1926

India – M K Gandhi – father of the Indian nation highly important document dated ‘Asho sudi 4 Vikram Samvat 1982’ (September 23rd 1926 on the Gregorian calendar) being the will of M K Gandhi written at the Satyagrah Ashram Sabarmati Bhadarva in hi... Read More
 5 Nov 2013 Rare Manuscripts
Sangrahanisutra; Trailokya dipi

18th century
Western India

The Sangrahanisutra is a cosmological text composed in 1136 by Shrichandra that includes Jain ideas about the structure of the universe and the mapping of space. The manuscript, made in the eighteenth century, includes illustration... Read More
 5 Nov 2013 Rare Manuscripts
Sangrahanisutra; Trailokya dipi

18th century
Western India

The Sangrahanisutra is a cosmological text composed in 1136 by Shrichandra that includes Jain ideas about the structure of the universe and the mapping of space. The manuscript, made in the eighteenth century, includes illustration... Read More
 28 Sep 2013 Rare Manuscripts
This notice was pasted after the killing of J. P. Saunders, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Lahore, on December 17 in broad daylight, in front of the SSP’s office in the city. Saunders had ordered his men to hit Lala Lajpat Rai with lathis on October 30, 1928, when the latter was leading a large... Read More
 28 Sep 2013 Rare Manuscripts
Death Certificate of Indian freedom fighter - Bhagat Singh
Date: 1931

Source: Archives of the British Government in India Read More
 9 Jun 2013 Rare Manuscripts
Karna Slays a Demon
1670
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
H: 11.8 W: 16.6 cm
Probably Seringapatam, South India, India

This charged scene is from the Mahabharata (Great Story of the Bharatas), a sacred Hindu epic of ancient India that narrates the great war between two related clans, ... Read More