WEST BENGAL

 

The Asiatic Society Library

1 Park Street

Kolkata 700016

Website http://www.indev.nic.in/asiatic/Library/index.htm

 

 

Introduction: The library was founded in 1784.  One of the earliest gifts received was from the Seringapatam Committee, which sent portions of Tipu Sultan’s library to the Society in 1808.   Among the collections in Arabic script manuscripts are those of Nawab Aziz Jang of Hyderabad and the Fort William College library. An introduction is by A.M. Fazle Kabir, “Asiatic Society of Bengal,” pp. 177-194, in Libraries, Archives and Information Centers in India, vol. 9, edited by B.M. Gupta, (New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan, 1991). ?). The present writer has not seen the following book which may have to do with a library in Kolkata, see An Entire and Correct Editon of the Five Books upon Arabic Grammar which together with the principles of Inflection in the Arabic Language…Carefully collated with the Most Ancient and Accurate Manuscripts which could be found in India, by John Bailllie, 3 vol.(Calcutta, 1802-1805). The collection of Mughal noble, which the Library inherited, is discussed by Hafiz Nazir Ahmad, “Abd al-Rahim Khan-i Khanan aur Iss ka Kutub Khanah…” Maarif (Azamgarh) (November 1924): 339-350; (December 1924): 415-430.

Catalog (s): Fihrist-i kutub-i qalami wa matbuat-i kutubkhanah-i Asiatic Society, edited by Zahir Ali, (Calcutta, 1837)

Aloys Sprenger, 1813-1893.  Catalogue of the Arabic, Persian and Hindustani Manuscripts of the Libraries of the King of Oudh, (Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1854, reprinted 1979). 

Catalogue of Persian Books and Manuscripts in the Library of the Asiatic Society, edited by Mirza Ashraf Ali, (Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1890)

Catalogue of Persian Books and Manuscripts in the Library of the Asiatic Society, edited by Mirza Ashraf Ali, (Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1895)

Catalogue of Arabic Books and Manuscripts in the Library of the Asiatic Society, edited by Mirza Ashraf Ali, 2 vols. (Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 18999-1904)

Catalogue of Arabic and Persian Books and Manuscripts in the Library of the Asiatic Society, edited by Kamaluddin Ahmad and Abdul Muqtadir, (Calcutta: The Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, 1905)

List of Arabic and Persian Manuscripts Acquired …by the Asiatic Society of Bengal during 1903-1907, edited by M. Hidayat Hosain, (Calcutta, 1908)

List of Arabic and Persian Manuscripts Acquired …by the Asiatic Society of Bengal during 1908-1910, edited by N.Ahmad and H. Razawi, (Calcutta, 1911)

Author Catalogue of the Hyderabad Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Books, edited by William Jones, (Calcutta, 1913)

Concise Descriptive Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the Collection of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, edited by Wladimir Ivanow, (Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, 1924, reprinted 1985) For the works of Ivanow see Correspondence Corbin-ivonow: lettres entre Henry Corbin et Wladimir Ivanow de 1947 a 1966, edited by Sabine Schmidte, (Paris: Diffusion Peeters, 1999)

Concise Descriptive Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the Curzon  Collection, edited by Wladimir Ivanow, (Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1926)

Concise Descriptive Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the Collection of the Asia Society of Bengal, Supplements 1 & 2 edited by Wladimir Ivanow, (Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, 1927-1928)

Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, 2 vols., edited by Wladimir Ivanow and M. Hidayat Hosain, (Calcutta: Royal Asiatic Society, 1939-1951).  On the works of Ivanow see Farhad Daftary,” Wladimir Ivanow, 1886-1970,” Islamic Culture XLV (1971): 55-67.

Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts (in tabular form) in the Collection of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, edited by K.M. Maitra & M.S. Khan, (Calcutta: The Asiatic Society, 1980-1999)

Works on the history or individual manuscripts in the library:

Khalida Husayni, Asiatic Society ki khidamat-i Farsi, (Kolkata: Qasimi Dawakhana, 1997)

Asok Kumar Das, “The Jamiat tawarikh Manuscript in the Asiatic Society Calcutta,” pp. 264-270 in Interaction Between Indian and Central Asian Science and Technology in Medieval Times, v. 2, edited by Wazir Hasan Abdi, (New Delhi: Indian National Science Academy, 1990)

 

 

The National Library

Belvedere, Alipore

 Kolkata 700027

Website URL http://nlindia.org/index2.html

 

Introduction: It was established as the Imperial Library in 1903, renamed in 1947 as the National Library.  It contains the collections donated by Mawlawi Sayyid Sadr al-Din al-Musawi, a landlord of Buhar, Burdwan, West Bengal and Jadunath Sarkar, a historian of the Mughals.

Number of manuscripts: 1,161 (691 Persian, 467 Arabic, 2 Urdu, 1 Turkish)

Catalog (s): Catalogue raisonne of the Buhar Library, 2 vols, edited by Wasim Nasir Rizawi, Maulvi Abdul Muqtadir, and M. Hidayat Hosain, (Calcutta: Imperial Library, 1921-1923; revised edition 1982). Volume 1 pertains to the Persian manuscripts and volume 2 to Arabic; Sayyid Najib Ashraf Nadwi, “Fihrist-i Kutub Khanah-yi Buhar,  Maarif (Azamgarh) (October 1924): 308-317.

Catalogue of the Persian Mss of Sir Jadunath Sarkar Collection, edited by S.M. Hasan, (Calcutta: Imperial Library, 1972); the same author’s “Sir Jadunath Sarkar ke Mahfuza Makhtutat,” Maarif (Azamgarh) (November 1960): 374-88.

Works on the history or individual manuscripts in the library:

M. Hidayat Hosain, “The Founders of the Buhar Library,” Islamic Culture 7 (1933): 125-146; S.M. Hasan, “Jadunath Sarkar’s Collection of Persian Manuscripts.” Bengal Past and Present 90, part I (January-June 1971): 118-121.

 

Victoria Memorial Hall Library

1 Queen’s Way

Kolkata 700071

 

Catalog (s):,Manuscripts in Arabic, Persian  nd Urdu: A descriptive Catalogue edited by Iqbal Jawed, (Calcutta: Victoria Memorial Library, 1973)

Works on the history or individual manuscripts in the library:

M. Sami  Ahmad, “Anwar-i-Suhaili: A Valuable Manuscript in the Victoria Memorial Collection.” Bulletin of the Victoria Memorial 15 (1979): 31-35; M. Sami Ahmad, “Manuscript Copy of Faizi’sNal-Daman” in the Victoria Memorial Collection.” Bulletin of the Victoria Memorial 12 (1978): 28-30.

Hazarduari Palace Museum & Library

Murshidabad

http://Kolkata.wb.nic.in/murshidabad/tourism.htm

 

Introduction: Murshidabad was the seat of a princely state like Hyderabad, Bhopal, Rampur, and Tonk, where Persian literature was cultivated.  Evidently there are some manuscripts in the Hazardari Palace Library, the former nawab’s palace, as recorded by Sayyid Husayn Azimabadi, Nawa-yi did, (Patna: Kitab Manzil, 1997.

 

Visva Bharati University

Shantiniketan, Birbhim 731235

 

Introduction: This is the university established by Rabindranath Tagore. The Arabic, Persian and Islamic Studies department is one of the oldest in India, with a good library. See the introduction in the series of articles by Abd al-Wahhab Bastawi, “Vishva Bharati University ke Farsi, Arabi, aur Urdu Makhtutat,” Burhan (Delhi) March 1981): 38-58; November 1981: 38-53; December 1981: 51-60; January 1982: 48-56; February 1982: 42-52; May 1982: 51-61; June 1982: 51-58; October 1982: 53-61; November 1982:55-59; December 1982: 55-64; January 1983: 53-63; February 1983: 57-61; December 1983: 25-35; January 1984: 30-40; February 1984: 344-57; April 1984: 41-48; May 1984: 42-62.