Miscellaneous manuscripts in Indic Languages in the Bodleian Library

This material is held atBodleian Library, University of Oxford

  • Reference
    • GB 161 MSS. Ind. Misc.
  • Dates of Creation
    • mainly 19th cent.
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • Assamese, Bengali, Bihari, Other Dravidian, Gujarati, Hindi, Munda languages, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Panjabi, Persian, Sanskrit, and Urdu.
  • Physical Description
    • 113 shelfmarks

Scope and Content

A series of miscellaneous Indic manuscripts, mainly 19th century, in the following languages: Assamese, Bengali, Canarese, Gujarati, Ho, Kharia, Malayalam, Malto, Marathi, Mundari, Nagpuri, Orissan, Oriya, Panjabi, Persian, Sadani, Sanskrit, Uramo and Urdu.

Administrative / Biographical History

Miscellaneous Indic manuscripts from various sources.

Access Information

Entry to read in the Library is permitted only on presentation of a valid reader's card (for admissions procedures see http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk).

Acquisition Information

The earliest acquisition represented in this series is pre-1686, and the latest 1979, though most of the manuscripts came to the Library around the late 19th-early 20th century. Manuscripts have been bought from, and given by, several individuals, and purchased at sales.

Note

The series 'MSS. Ind. misc.' was formed in 1924 by combining the following: 'MSS. Assamese', 'MSS. Bengali', 'MSS. Canarese', 'MSS. Gujarati', 'MSS. Ho', 'MSS. Kharia', 'MSS. Malayalam', 'MSS. Malto', 'MSS. Marathi', 'MSS. Misc. Indic.', 'MSS. Mundari', 'MSS. Orissan', 'MSS. Uramo', 'MSS. Urdu'.

Collection level description created by Susan Thomas, Department of Special Collections and Western Manuscripts.

Other Finding Aids

Some of the manuscripts are in Falconer Madan, et al., A summary catalogue of western manuscripts in the Bodleian Library at Oxford which have not hitherto been catalogued in the Quarto series, with references to the oriental and other manuscripts (7 vols. in 8 [vol. II in 2 parts], Oxford, 1895-1953; reprinted, with corrections in vols. I and VII, Munich, 1980), vols. V-VI, nos. 24660, 26326, 26337, 27697, 29897, 30122, 30139, 30846, 30866, 30886-7, 30995-7, 31476-81, 31493-4, 31747, 32536, 32830, 32924, 33033, 33167-70, 33172, 33453-4, 33461, 33486-509, 33531-42, 34686-7, 34698, 35521, 36992.

The manuscripts are also summarily described in the card catalogue, arranged by language, located in the Oriental Reading Room.

Some manuscripts are described in E. Sachau, H. Eth and A.F.L. Beeston Catalogi codicum manuscriptorum Bibliothecae Bodleianae, pars 13: catalogue of the Persian, Turkish, Hindstn, and Pusht manuscripts in the Bodleian Library, 3 vols. (Oxford, 1889-1953), parts 2-3.

Related Material

Manuscripts in the same languages were collected by the Indian Institute, and transferred to the Bodleian in 1927 (MSS. Ind. Inst. Beng. 1 (R), 2-3; Misc. 1-19, 20 (R), 21-31, 32 (R); Sansk. 1-74, 75-138 (R), 139, 140-218 (R), 219, 220-1 (R), 222-31, 232-7 (R), 238-9, 240-3 (R), 244-250; Urdu 1-24).