GUJARAT

Ahmadabad

Dargah Hazrat Pir Muhammad Shah Library

Pir Muhammad Shah Road

Pankore Naka

Ahmadabad 380001

Introduction: The library is located within the precincts of the tomb-shrine complex of Pir Muhammad Shah, who was born in Bijapur in 1688 and migrated to Ahmadabad in 1711 where he died in 1749. An introduction is found in Muhammad Zuber Qureshi, “ The History of Hazrat Pir Muhammad Shah at Ahmadabad,” Islam in India: Studies and Commentaries, vol. 2, edited by Christian W. Troll, (New Delhi: Vikas, 1985), pp. 282-300

Number of manuscripts: 2000

Catalog (s): Arabi, Farsi, Urdu Makhtutat ki wadahati fihrist, 5 vols., (Ahmadabad: Pir Muhammad Shah Dargah Sharif Trust, 1998. A review on this catalogue is found in Maarif (Azamgarh) June 1998, p. 479-480.

Works on the history or individual manuscripts in the library:

Zubayr Qurayshi, “Mawlana Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Kurd al-Ahmadabadi,” Journal of the Arabic and PersianResearch Institute 12 (193-94):85-105

Shaykh Farid al-Din Burhanpuri, d. 1998, “Kutub khanah-yi Dargah Hazrat Pir Muhammad Shah,” Nawa-i Adab (October 1955): 13-27; Mohamed Taher, Amin Ahmed Khan, and Muhammed Burhanuddin, “Dargah Libraries in India: A Comparative Study,” International Library Journal 18 (1986): 337-345; Z.A. Desai, “Some Rare Seal-Bearing Persian Manuscripts in the Hazrat P.M. Dargah Library,” Indo-iranica 46, 1-1v (1993): 52-73.

Gujarat Vidya Sabha & B.J. Institute of Learning

H.K. Arts College Campus

Ashram Road

Ahmadabad 380009

Number of Manuscripts: 416 in three collections.

Catalog (s): Descriptive Catalogue of Arabic and Persian Manuscripts: Gujarat Vidya Sabha Collection, edited by Chhotubhai Rancchodji Naik, (Ahmadabad: The Sabha, 1964). A Supplement to the Catalogue of the Persian and Arabic Manuscripts of B.J. Institute Museum, part III, (Ahmedabad: Institute of Learning and Research, 1989).

L.D. Institute of Indology

Ahmadabad 380009

Introduction: This institute mainly of Sanskrit manuscripts also contain some in Persian. One such is an illustrated farman of Emperor Jahangir prohibiting cow slaughter on Jain festivals. The farman manuscript in Persian is dated 1610.

Other Collections: W.H. Siddiqi, “The Huge Manuscript of the Holy Qur’an at Baroda.” Journal of the Oriental Institute (Baroda) 33, 3-4 (March-June 1984): 34-345. This copy of the Qur’an is located in Jama Masjid, Mandvi, Baroda. See the news item “Unique Copy of the Holy Qur’an in Baroda Mosque,” The Indian Express 9 June 1996; Maqsud Ahmad, “Baroda main Mawjud ek Qur’ani Makhtutah,” Burhan (Delhi) (May-June 1997): 38-39; the same author reports of a manuscript of Firdawsi’s Shah Namah, see “Shah Namah-yi Firdawsi ke ek Qalami Nuskhah, Jama Masjid Baroda main,” Burhan (Delhi) (October 1997): 31. Two major dargah libraries are: Dargah Aliya Chishtiya in Shahi Bagh, Ahmadabad and Dargah Aliya Mahdawiya in Palanpur. A catalog of both libraries is being published by Noor Microfilm Center, New Delhi. See the website

http://www.noormicrofilmindia.com/libemahdaveh.htm.

Navsari

First Dastur Meherji Rana Library

Navsari

Contact information may be had of Unesco House

B 5/29 Safdar Jang Enclave

New Delhi 110029

Website URL http://www.unescoparzor.com/librar.hyml

Introduction: Descriptive Catalogue of All Manuscripts in the First Dasture Meherji Rana Library, edited by B.N. Dhabar,(Bombay, 1923)

Number of Manuscripts: 145

Surat

Al-Jamiat al-Sayfiyah

Devdi Mubarak

Zampa Bazaar

P.O. Box 392

Surat 395003

Introduction: This Arabic academy in Surat is the principal institution for the religious education and training of the Dawoodi Bohras. Established in 1814, it houses some of the most rare manuscripts of the Fatimid and Yemenite periods of the Ismaili history. An introduction is found in http://members.tripod.comaliasgerrasheed/jamea.htm; and “Al-Jamaea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy,” Muslim India (December 1985): 556.

Vadodara (new/old name of Baroda)

Alawi Bohra Library

Mazun al-Dawah al-Alawiyyah

Al-Wazarat al-Alawiyyah

Badri Mahalla

Vadodara 390017

Introduction: Contains several hundred Ismail manuscripts.

The Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery

Sayaji Bagh

Vaddora

Introduction: There are a number of illustrated mansucripts in Persian from medieval India.

Other Collections: Jamsheed Cawasji Katrak, Oriental Treasures: Being Condensed Tabular Descriptive Statement of Over 1, 000 Mss …in Iranian and Indian Languages…in Private Libraries of Parsis in Different Parts of Gujarat, (Bombay, 1941)