Inside Bihar's forgotten manuscript treasures
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According to the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), India boasts 3,851 manuscript repositories, of which 127 are located in Bihar. These hold over 50,000 documented manuscripts, many of them undergoing digitisation to ensure their stories endure.
Among the crown jewels of Bihar's manuscript treasure troves is the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library (KBOPL) in Patna. Home to nearly 28,000 manuscripts, it is a global magnet for scholars.
Four manuscripts from KBOPL have earned the rare honour of being listed among the 45 'manuscript treasures of India' by NMM, each a masterpiece in ink and parchment.
One such gem is the Kitab al-Tasrif, an Arabic medical encyclopaedia written around 1000 AD by Andalusian physician Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi. Titled The Method of Medicine in English, it remains a cornerstone in the study of medieval Islamic medical science.
Another marvel, the Kitab al-Hashaish, or Book of Herbs, is an Arabic translation of a Greek text by 1st-century botanist Dioscorides, an elegant fusion of civilisations in manuscript form.
Then there is the magnificent Tarikh-e Khandan-e Timuriyah-Chronicle of the Descendants of Timur, commissioned by Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century, tracing a royal lineage through Babur, Humayun and Akbar himself.
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And perhaps the most poetic of all: the Divan of Hafez, a collection by the 14th-century Sufi mystic. "This volume was used by Mughal emperors to take out the omens and the writings of these Mughal kings – notes, marks, thoughts – are still visible on the margins," said Shayesta Bedar, librarian of KBOPL.
But KBOPL is not alone in guarding the whispers of history.
The Bihar Research Society (BRS), founded in 1915 in Patna under the stewardship of Sir Charles S.
Bayley, houses over 10,000 Sanskrit and Tibetan manuscripts. Its Tibetan collection, known as the Rahul Collection, comprises translations of Sanskrit texts created by Buddhist monks between the 7th and 13th centuries. These texts are preserved as woodblock prints on handmade paper, handwritten scripts on coarse parchment, and even ancient Sanskrit scrolls on talapatra leaves in Maithili script.
Shiv Kumar Mishra, a long-serving scholar at BRS, described the collection as "a unique blend of cultural synthesis between Indian and Tibetan traditions."
Sixty kilometres from Patna, in Bharatpura, the Gopal Narayan Public Library, established in 1912, preserves more than 5,800 rare manuscripts written in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and other languages – a treasure trove of polyglot history.
At Patna University, 5,763 manuscripts of international significance lie in quiet slumber, written on bhojpatra, palm leaves, animal hide, gold-and-silver-lined parchment and even leather.
"Some manuscripts date back to the 13th century," said Jayadeo Mishra, former head of ancient Indian history and archaeology at PU. Among them are the Saroj Kalika, Malti Madhvan (14th century), Tolinama, Risala Sifat Jaruriya (15th century), Jahangirnama, Brihad Jatak, Khatmaye Ferhanse (16th century) and Laila Majnu by Amir Khusrau (17th century).
In the cultural heartland of Mithila, the Mithila Snatkottar Shodh Sansthan in Darbhanga stands as a beacon of Maithili heritage.
Established in 1951 at the initiative of President Rajendra Prasad, it holds 11,000 manuscripts, some over 1,100 years old, etched on tree bark and deer skin.
Sanjay Jha, head of the history department at L N Mithila University, said, "We have a manuscript of Vishnupuran on palm leaves, Durga Saptashi on ivory, written with a blend of buffalo blood and spinach liquid and Panji Prabandh on deer skin. Each carries its own mystique."
Also in Darbhanga, the Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University (KSD) library shelters over 5,500 manuscripts, including ancient palm-leaf scrolls dating back more than 1,200 years. "Our collection spans the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and other ancient treatises," added Jha.
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Time of India
18 hours ago
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1 2 3 4 5 6 Patna: Preservation of ancient manuscripts is an act of cultural reverence. Each brittle scroll and weathered folio is a portal to the past, where inked symbols became vessels of science, scripture and philosophy. But these treasures of knowledge, once passed hand to hand by sages and scribes, now face a race against time and nature. " Manuscripts are vulnerable to many threats – humidity, temperature shifts, exposure to light, chemical reactions – all of which accelerate their decay. And the act of handling them, no matter how gentle, only adds to their fragility," said a senior academic engaged in manuscript conservation. As the physical forms grow delicate, the mission to preserve what they hold becomes all the more urgent. Conservationists employ a mix of traditional and modern techniques – fumigation to repel infestations, controlled environments to manage temperature and humidity and increasingly, digitisation to ensure universal access. "Digital preservation allows these rare texts to reach anyone, anywhere," said a conservator involved in digitisation efforts. "Once online, a manuscript from 10th-century Mithila or ancient Nalanda becomes a resource for the world," he added. Yet, beyond methods lies the medium itself – the materials once used to create these manuscripts tell their own story of civilisational ingenuity. Jayadeo Mishra, former head of ancient Indian history and archaeology at Patna University, pointed to the world's earliest plant-based writing surface: papyrus, used in Egypt as far back as the third millennium BCE. "In India, palm leaves and tree bark were the principal writing supports before the introduction of paper in the 11th century," he said. These writing supports were as diverse as the ideas they carried: Tal-patra: Palm-leaf manuscripts strung like necklaces – bundles of 50 to 100 leaves, evenly cut and pressed between carved wooden covers. Some rare scrolls even span a metre in length, midribs intact, rolled like ancient carpets of thought. Bhoja-patra: Thin, crisp folios made from the bark of the Himalayan birch. They were sheathed between wooden boards or wrapped in cloth, holding centuries of poetry, law and devotion. Hansi-pata: Crafted from the bast fibre of the Agaru tree, these were slender, stackable folios rarely bound, often stored with reverence between wooden slats Handmade paper: Often folded into books or kept loose, these manuscripts mark the transition to more accessible formats, yet still retain a rustic elegance. Manufactured paper: As industrial methods took hold, folios on factory-made paper entered the scene. Some were bound; others remained loose, but each was a sign of evolving archival practices. One of the most evocative media, however, remains birch bark, the velvety, flexible skin of Himalayan birches. In ancient India, it was the parchment of choice for high knowledge. Mishra said, "Birch bark was used for Buddhist scriptures, classical Sanskrit texts, medical treatises and even scientific documents. These were living repositories of human understanding." Among the most famous birch bark texts is the Bower Manuscript, dating back to the 4th–6th century CE. It contains Ayurvedic medical knowledge, offering insights into early Indian treatments and formulations. Birch also hosted sections of the Mahabharata, Patanjali's grammar, and Buddhist canons such as the Dhammapada and Mahayana sutras. Even early astronomical charts and mathematical calculations found home on its soft, fibrous surface. Ashok Kumar Jha, physics teacher at Patna University and assistant director of the university's central library, said manuscript preservation was a delicate balance of traditional wisdom and modern science. "We often use natural deterrents like neem leaves, peacock feathers or even snake skin placed between the pages to prevent insect damage," he said. To guard against wind and humidity, manuscripts are stored in airtight wooden boxes, where bundles of herbs such as acorus and karpoora are tied in small pieces of cloth and tucked inside to maintain a controlled environment. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Time of India
Inside Bihar's forgotten manuscript treasures
Patna: The fading ink of ancient manuscripts still speaks of empires, philosophies, sciences and dreams scribbled across centuries. These fragile carriers of wisdom, carefully stacked in libraries and research institutions across Bihar, are bridges between antiquity and modernity, between the spoken wisdom of sages and the scientific pursuits of today. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), India boasts 3,851 manuscript repositories, of which 127 are located in Bihar. These hold over 50,000 documented manuscripts, many of them undergoing digitisation to ensure their stories endure. Among the crown jewels of Bihar's manuscript treasure troves is the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library (KBOPL) in Patna. Home to nearly 28,000 manuscripts, it is a global magnet for scholars. Four manuscripts from KBOPL have earned the rare honour of being listed among the 45 'manuscript treasures of India' by NMM, each a masterpiece in ink and parchment. One such gem is the Kitab al-Tasrif, an Arabic medical encyclopaedia written around 1000 AD by Andalusian physician Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi. Titled The Method of Medicine in English, it remains a cornerstone in the study of medieval Islamic medical science. Another marvel, the Kitab al-Hashaish, or Book of Herbs, is an Arabic translation of a Greek text by 1st-century botanist Dioscorides, an elegant fusion of civilisations in manuscript form. Then there is the magnificent Tarikh-e Khandan-e Timuriyah-Chronicle of the Descendants of Timur, commissioned by Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 16th century, tracing a royal lineage through Babur, Humayun and Akbar himself. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now And perhaps the most poetic of all: the Divan of Hafez, a collection by the 14th-century Sufi mystic. "This volume was used by Mughal emperors to take out the omens and the writings of these Mughal kings – notes, marks, thoughts – are still visible on the margins," said Shayesta Bedar, librarian of KBOPL. But KBOPL is not alone in guarding the whispers of history. The Bihar Research Society (BRS), founded in 1915 in Patna under the stewardship of Sir Charles S. Bayley, houses over 10,000 Sanskrit and Tibetan manuscripts. Its Tibetan collection, known as the Rahul Collection, comprises translations of Sanskrit texts created by Buddhist monks between the 7th and 13th centuries. These texts are preserved as woodblock prints on handmade paper, handwritten scripts on coarse parchment, and even ancient Sanskrit scrolls on talapatra leaves in Maithili script. Shiv Kumar Mishra, a long-serving scholar at BRS, described the collection as "a unique blend of cultural synthesis between Indian and Tibetan traditions." Sixty kilometres from Patna, in Bharatpura, the Gopal Narayan Public Library, established in 1912, preserves more than 5,800 rare manuscripts written in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and other languages – a treasure trove of polyglot history. At Patna University, 5,763 manuscripts of international significance lie in quiet slumber, written on bhojpatra, palm leaves, animal hide, gold-and-silver-lined parchment and even leather. "Some manuscripts date back to the 13th century," said Jayadeo Mishra, former head of ancient Indian history and archaeology at PU. Among them are the Saroj Kalika, Malti Madhvan (14th century), Tolinama, Risala Sifat Jaruriya (15th century), Jahangirnama, Brihad Jatak, Khatmaye Ferhanse (16th century) and Laila Majnu by Amir Khusrau (17th century). In the cultural heartland of Mithila, the Mithila Snatkottar Shodh Sansthan in Darbhanga stands as a beacon of Maithili heritage. Established in 1951 at the initiative of President Rajendra Prasad, it holds 11,000 manuscripts, some over 1,100 years old, etched on tree bark and deer skin. Sanjay Jha, head of the history department at L N Mithila University, said, "We have a manuscript of Vishnupuran on palm leaves, Durga Saptashi on ivory, written with a blend of buffalo blood and spinach liquid and Panji Prabandh on deer skin. Each carries its own mystique." Also in Darbhanga, the Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University (KSD) library shelters over 5,500 manuscripts, including ancient palm-leaf scrolls dating back more than 1,200 years. "Our collection spans the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, and other ancient treatises," added Jha.
Time of India
2 days ago
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