Persian MS 779 (The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, The University of Manchester)
Persian Manuscripts
Contents
This work may possibly be a prose redaction of a metrical biography of Begum Samru compposed by her munshī, Lālah Gūkul Chand, before her death (British Library Add. 25830), in which he states in his preamble that he took on the task after the discovery that a prior prose version reportedly authored by Jai Singh Rai had been lost. Nevertheless, this text covers the final decade of her life apparently not found in the other manuscript. D. N. Marshall also notes another manuscript held in the Saravasti Bhandar Library, Udaipur, described by M. L. Menaria as also authored by Gokul Chand; however, whether that volume might also comports with the others awaits investigation.
Physical Description
Collation
Condition
Layout
Written in 1 column with 10 lines per page. Ruled with a misṭarah hand guide.
Hand(s)
Written in clear black nasta‘līq with red subheaders.
Table of Contents: Listed on the two loose bifolia inserted before the right flyleaves, (loose leaves 1a to 4b).
Inscriptions: The fifth right flyleaf a side (f. va) bears a descriptive title of the work in bold nasta‘līq with the name of former owner Colonel George William Hamilton, likely in the hand of his an assistant Muhīn Dās.
Bookplates: The left cover interior: ‘Bibliotheca Lindesiana’ with pencilled shelfmark ‘2/K’, and ‘Hamilton MSS No. 696’.
Binding
Probably rebound in Multan for former owner Colonel George William Hamilton.
Unsupported sewing at 2 stations, spine lined with cotton fabric, with the excess width adhered to the second and second-to-last flyleaves. Edges trimmed, but endbands omitted. Covered in semi-limp full maroon semi-limp goatskin leather. Flyleaves tipped onto the cotton fabric, with the excess width adhered as hinges connecting the text to the cover, but without full pastedowns, then reinforced with overlaid, thin transluscent tissue.
An octagonal paper label on the right cover bears the title in black nasta‘līq
150 × 118 × 9 mm.
Handle binding with caution. In fair condition with the right cover detached. Boxed.
Accompanying Material
Two bifolia tucked between the left pastedown and first right flyleaf a side (f. ia) bear a list of the contents written in black nasta‘līq in machine-made paper
History
Provenance and Acquisition
Subsequently acquired by Colonel George William Hamilton (1807-1868) who served in India from 1823 to 1867, latterly as Commissioner in Delhi. He acquired over a thousand Indian and Persian manuscripts, from which the British Museum selected 352, now held in the British Library.
Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) purchased the remainder of Hamilton's collection in 1868.
Alexander Lindsay, 25th Earl of Crawford (1812–1880) purchased the remainder of Hamilton's collection in 1868.
Purchased by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1901 from James Ludovic Lindsay, 26th Earl of Crawford (1847–1913).
Bequeathed by Enriqueta Rylands (1843–1908) in 1908 to the John Rylands Library.
Record Sources
Bibliographical description based on an index created by Reza Navabpour circa 1993, derived from a manuscript catalogue by Michael Kerney, circa 1890s, concisely published as Bibliotheca Lindesiana, Hand-list of Oriental Manuscripts: Arabic, Persian, Turkish, 1898.
Manuscript description by Jake Benson in 2022 with reference to the volume in hand.
Availability
To book an in-person or online appointment to consult the manuscript, visit Using the Special Collections Reading Rooms. For any other enquiries please email uml.special-collections@manchester.ac.uk.
Bibliography
Funding of Cataloguing
Iran Heritage Foundation
The John Rylands Research Institute
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