King's Pote 217 (King's College Library, King's College Cambridge)

Pote Collection

Summary of Contents: 1 copy of Sirr-i Akbar.

Author: (probably) Dārā Shikūh, Prince, son of Shahjahan, Emperor of India, 1615-1659 دارا شکوه

Title: Sirr-i Akbar

Title: Upanishads

Title: سر اكبر

Upanishads in Persian translation

Language(s): Persian

Colophon details: Date: Undated Scribe: Anonymous.

Colophon further notes: At the end of the text there is a reference to the composition date: 26 Ramaḍān 1067 in Delhi.

References

Browne no.

Palmer no. 217

Mughals in India: a bibliographical survey. Vol. 1. Manuscripts D.N. Marshall 1962 p.127

Physical Description

Form: codex

Extent: 439 folios.

Dimensions (leaf): 22.8 × 13 cm.

Dimensions (written): 18.8 × 8.9 cm.

Foliation: Foliated.

Condition

Water damage.

Layout

15 lines per page.

Not ruled except ff.1v-2r which is ruled in red, gold black and blue. Rubrications in red. Catchwords.

Hand(s)

Script: Indian nastaʿlīq. Scribe: Anonymous.

Decoration

F.1v: an illuminated sarlauh .

Additions: Notes concerning codex: Browne has no entry for this manuscript although it appears in his summary listing, p. 306).

Binding

Reddish brown leather, European stye. Plain leather doublures. Decorations: Inlaid gold turanj, two pendants and corner pieces with a border of cartouches and corner pieces. Dimensions: 23.6 × 13.6 × 4.5 cm. Unboxed. Polier's number: 542.

History

Origin: Undated.

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

Union Catalogue of Manuscripts from the Islamicate World