King's Pote 149 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Ḥujjat al-Hind.

Author: Ibn ʿUmar Miḥrābī ابن عمر محرابي

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: Sunday 14 Ramaḍān 1113 (year 46, i.e. Aurengzeb) / 12 Feb 1702 Scribe: Anonymous.

Note concerning work: A refutation of Hindūism and defence of Islām, in the form of a dialogue between a parrot and a crane, compiled in 1055/1645. A Persian version of the Indian story of Nala and Damayanti (Nal u Daman).

References

Browne no. 388

Palmer no. 149

Catalogue of the Persian manuscripts in the British Museum (3 vols.) C. Rieu 1879-1883 p.29 [BL Add. 5602]

Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.67 (author also known as ʿAlī Shāh Mihrābī and Ibn ʿUmar)

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 143 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 23 × 12 cm.

Dimensions (written): 19.5 × 9 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Condition

Water damage. Marginal repairs near the start.

Layout

15 lines per page.

Not ruled. Red rubrications. Catchwords.

Hand(s)

Script: Indian nastaʿlīq. Scribe: Anonymous.

Binding

Light tan suede binding, European style. Plain paper doublures (watermarked: "C. TAYLOR"). Dimensions: 23.8 × 12.3 × 2.5 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: 320.

History

Origin: Sunday 14 Ramaḍān 1113 (year 46, i.e. Aurengzeb) AH; 12 Feb 1702 CE

Provenance and Acquisition

The "Pote Collection" arrived in England from India in 1790 and was divided between the Colleges of Eton and King's, Cambridge, with the first half alphabetically going to King's. Both halves of the collection are now housed in Cambridge University Library on permanent loan. Most if not all of the manuscripts had previously been owned by Colonel Antoine-Louis Henri Polier (1741–1795).

Gift of Edward Ephraim Pote (d.1832) in 1788.

Record Sources

Manuscript description based on E. G. Browne, "A supplementary hand-list of the Muhammadan manuscripts, including all those written in the Arabic character, preserved in the Library of the University of Cambridge", Cambridge, 1922 and E. H. Palmer, "Catalogue of the oriental manuscripts in the library of King's College, Cambridge", J.R.A.S. v.3 (1867), pp.105-131 enhanced with additional descriptions and corrections by Shiva Mihan.

Availability

All manuscripts of the Pote Collection are on permanent loan at Cambridge University Library. Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card for admissions procedures consult Cambridge University Library. Contact near_eastern@lib.cam.ac.uk for further information on the availability of this manuscript

Funding of Cataloguing

King's College Cambridge

Subjects

Hinduism--Relations--Islam

Comments

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