Historical Overview

Steeped in the Persianate culture of Iran and Central Asia, the Delhi sultans patronized poets and scholars. The successors of the sultans were the Mughal emperors, some of whom were dedicated bibliophiles and patronized book production. The Mughal collections were destroyed and dispersed after the revolt of 1857. Some of the Mughal books were removed to the Royal Asiatic Society and the India Office Library in London. Like the Mughals, the sultans of Bengal, Deccan, Gujarat, and Malwa were also notable book collectors, as were their own successors the Nawabs of Avadh, Arcot, Bhopal, Rampur and Tonk, as well as the Nizams of Hyderabad. The tradition of book production patronage and collection survived till the 19^th century when modern printing replaced manuscripts. For the introduction of modern printing replacing mansucripts, see Graham Shaw, “South Asia and the History of the Book,” South Asia Librarians Group Newsletter 43 (January 1996): 17-20.

For accounts of libraries in medieval India see in chronological order: Imtiyaz Ali Arshi, “Hindustan ke Arabi, Farsi Kutub Khaneh,” Burhan (Delhi), volume 15, no. 3; Narendra Nath Law, Promotion of Learning in India During Muhammadan (sic) Rule, (London: Longmans & Green, 1916); M. Rama Rao, “Libraries in Ancient and Medieval India,” Journal of Andhra Historical Society 8 (1933): 203-232; Muhammad Hamidullah, “Oriental Libraries in the East and West,” All India Oriental Conference Proceedings, 8 (1935): 207-218; Syed Abu Zafar Nadvi, “Libraries During the Muslim Rule in India,” Islamic Culture 19 (1945): 329-347, 20 (1946): 3-20; this article may be the one also available under the title “Hindustan ke Kutub Khaneh,” Maarif (Azamgarh) March 1949, pp. 187-202; and Maarif April 1949, pp. 245-259. S. Rafique Ahmed, “Imperial Library of the Mughal Kings,” All Pakistan Historical Conference Proceedings 1 (1951):392-393; Dharma Bhanu, “ Libraries and their Management in Mughal India,” Journal of Indian History 31 (1953): 157-173; the same article also published in Journal of Pakistan Historical Society 2 (1954): 287-301; Muhammad Zubair, Islami Kutub khaneh, (Delhi: Nadwat al-Musannifin, 1961; Karachi: H.M. Said, 1978); Shaikh Abdul Aziz, The Imperial Library of the Mughals, (Lahore, 1967); D.N. Marshall, Mughals in India: A Bibliographical Survey of Manuscripts, (London: Mansell, 1985; reprint of 1967); K.K. Saxena, “Libraries in Mughal India,” Orissa Historical Research Journal 16 (1967): 68-72; Bimal Kumar Datta, Libraries and Librarianship of Ancient and Medieval India, (New Delhi: Atma Ram, 1970, Urdu translation by Sartaj Ahmad Abidi, New Delhi: National Council for the Promotion of Urdu Language, 2003; Salman Shamsi Nadvi, Hindustan ke mashriqi kutub khaneh, (Lucknow, 1973); Kalpana Dasgupta, “How Learned Were the Mughals: Reflections on Muslim Libraries in India,” Journal of Library History 10, 3 (July 1975): 241-254; Nazir Ahmad, “Timurid Manuscripts of Artistic and Historical Value in Indian Collections,” Khuda Bakhsh Library Journal 106 (1996): 36-96; pp. 726-769; it was translated into Persian by Abd al-Hayyi Habibi in his Hunar-i ahad-i Timuriyan, (Tehran: Bunyad-i Farhang, 1976); Fritz Lehmann, “The Kitabkhanahs in Islamic India,” Hikmat (Rabi I 1397/March 1977): 9-12; A. Prasad, “Libraries in Medieval India,” Library Herald 20 (1982): 155-159; S.A. Usmani and Z.R. Khan, “Oriental Libraries in India,” pp. 129-139, in Perspectives in Library and Information Science, Vol. 6, edited by S.N. Agarwal & others, (Lucknow: Print House, 1982); E. Birnbaum, Turkish Manuscript Cataloging Since 1960 and Manuscripts Still Uncataloged,” Journal of the American Oriental Society 103 (1983): 691-707, part 3 includes information on Indian collections; Narinder Nath & Karl Khandalavala, “Illustrated Islamic Manuscripts,” pp. 34-51, in An Age of Splendor: Islamic Art in India, edited by Karl Khandalavala, (Bombay: Marg, 1983) Gulab Khan, “Islamic Studies Libraries in India,” pp. 220-226, in Handbook of Libraries, Archives and Information Centers in India, Vol. 1, edited by B.M. Gupta, (New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan, 1984); A.M. Mukhtarov, “K Istori Kul Turnyskh Sviazei Azii s Indiei,” Narody Azii I Afriki 3 (1983): 154-158; on the visit of Soviet scholars to Indian libraries; I.M. Siddiqui, “Libraries in the Mughal Period: A Study,” International Library Movement 7 (1985):146-148; john Seyller, “ A Sub-imperial Mughal Manuscript: the Ramayana of Abd al-Rahim Khankhanan,” pp. 85-100, in The Legend of Rama: Artistic Visions, edited by Vidya Dahejia, (Bombay: Marg, 1994); Sheikh Alauddin, Libraries and Librarianship During Muslim Rule in India, (New Delhi: Reliance, 1996); Aziz Allah Ataridi, Sayri dar Kitab khanah-ha-yi Hind o Pakistan, (Tehran: Anjuman-i Makhtutat-i Iran, 1997); John Seyller, “The Inspection and Valuation of Manuscripts in the Imperial Mughal Library,” Artibus Asiae 57, 3-4 (1997): 243-249. An entire issue of Khuda Bakhsh Library Journal 45 (1988) has been devoted to the issue of medical manuscripts in India.