Bankipur in Academic World

Bankipur (Patna) is nowadays in the headlines because of Prashant Kishor’s electoral victory and the political upheaval it has caused in Bihar. But for academics, Bankipur has always occupied a very different place in India’s intellectual landscape. It is home to one of the country’s greatest yet hitherto unknown libraries: the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library.

The library was established in 1891 by Khan Bahadur Maulvi Khuda Bakhsh Khan (1842–1908), an eminent lawyer, scholar, and later Chief Justice of the Nizam’s High Court. Khuda Bakhsh established the library and  fulfilled a lifelong dream of his father, to preserve the literary and artistic heritage of the Persianate world for future generations. What was a personal collection later evolved into a public library of national significance. Recognizing its extraordinary importance, the Parliament of India declared it an Institution of National Importance in 1969.

Here is a short introduction to Khan Bahadur Maulvi Khuda Bakhsh Khan, published in Claude, Campbell A., Glimpses of the Nizam’s Dominions, The Hyderabad State, Deccan, India, Bombay, 1898

The library’s holdings span centuries of intellectual history. Its manuscripts are written on paper, palm leaves, deer skin, cloth, and other materials. There are also extensive collections of printed books in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, English, Hindi, and several European and Asian languages. 

However, the library remained largely unknown beyond scholarly circles for over a decade after its establishment. This changed dramatically in 1903 when the then Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon (1859–1925) visited the library in Patna. His visit drew the attention of senior colonial officials and scholars alike, transforming what had been a quiet repository into an internationally recognized centre for Oriental manuscripts.

Among its many treasures, the copies of the Shahnama stand out. One of them was presented to Emperor Shah Jahan by Ali Mardan Khan, the governor of Kabul and Kashmir. Copied in 642 Hijri (1244–45 CE), the manuscript is remarkable for its elegant calligraphy and lavish gold illumination. Even more remarkable is an inscription in Ali Mardan Khan’s own hand recording that he gifted the volume to the Mughal emperor.

Equally extraordinary is the library’s copy of the Shahinshahnameh, a poetic biography of Sultan Muhammad III of the Ottoman Empire. Scholars believe it may have been produced in Constantinople for the Sultan himself before eventually finding its way into the Mughal imperial library in Delhi. Over the centuries it accumulated the seals and signatures of Timurid emperors and nobles, including the exceptionally rare seal of Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan’s learned daughter.

The library also houses several manuscripts of the Diwan-e-Hafiz, but one occupies a special place in Mughal history. The margins contain notes written by none other than Humayun and Jahangir. Like the Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Tulsidas in North India, the Diwan of Hafiz was often consulted for phal (answer, result), seeking guidance or omens. The book was opened following a strict methodology, and the page with verses was read. The emperors themselves recorded on the manuscript’s margins the verses that appeared and the conclusions they drew from them, leaving behind an intimate glimpse into the personal world of Mughal kingship.

Its Quran manuscripts are equally beautiful. Their unique calligraphy, intricate ornamentation, and artistic refinement make them masterpieces in Islamic bookmaking. 

Another jewel in the collection is a copy of Yusuf-Zulaikha commissioned by the Mughal noble Abdul Rahim Khan-i-Khanan. There are estimates that he spent around one thousand gold mohurs (coins) on its preparation before he presented  it to Emperor Jahangir. The manuscript was written in 930 Hijri (1523-24 CE) and is housed now in Bankipur, far removed from the splendour of the Mughal court where it once belonged.

The library also preserves a manuscript of the Diwan of Mirza Kamran, Humayun’s brother, penned by a well-known calligrapher. Like several other volumes in the collection, it bears the signatures of Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and prominent nobles, allowing historians to reconstruct the journeys these books made through imperial libraries and private collections.

Some of the oldest manuscripts in the collection date back to the 6th century Hijri. Among them is a remarkable surgical treatise by the great Andalusian physician Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi, copied in 484 Hijri (1091-92 CE). It contains detailed illustrations of surgical instruments, many of which bear a striking resemblance to modern medical tools, a reminder of the progress made in medieval Islamic medicine. Other manuscripts preserve beautifully coloured illustrations of medicinal plants, animals, and pharmacological preparations.

The collection extends well beyond literature and history. It has rare works on the life of Prophet Muhammad, the textual history of the Quran, theology, philosophy, science, and literature. Together they make the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, one of the finest surviving archives of the Persianate and Islamic intellectual traditions in South Asia.

In an age when Bankipur is remembered for electoral battles and political headlines, it is worth remembering that its most enduring legacy may lie in this library, where manuscripts that once passed through the hands of emperors, scholars, and calligraphers continue to preserve a millennium of intellectual history.

The Library is located at:
Khuda Bakhsh Library Oriental Public Library, Ashok Rajpath, Patna-800004 (Bihar) India
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Online Catelogue:
https://kblpublications.wixsite.com/home