By Abdul Hadi/ANI, *18th century library reopens in Aurangabad after 70 years* - Thaindianews - Bangkok, ThailandWednesday, December 23, 2009
Aurangabad: An 18th century library, housing manuscripts and a number of precious books including a version of the Quran penned by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, has been reopened after 70 years here at the historical monument Panchakki in Maharashtra.
According to library officials, Hazrat Babashah Musafir, who migrated to Aurangabad in 18th century from Bukhara in Russia [sic., in Uzbekistan today (former Soviet Union) ed.], founded the library as well as the Panchakki.
The library treasured about 100,000 books and writing pieces till Indian independence (1947). However, it was closed down in 1970s due to administrative reasons due to which many of the library books were shifted to Hyderabad.
The library presently houses 2,500 books on various subjects related to history, law, medicine, Sufism, religion and philosophy in Arabic, penned by philosophers, saints and scholars in Urdu and Persian languages.
The cover of holy Quran here has a coating of gold on both sides, which has been preserved till date.
Moreover, a holy book written in 1,283 in four languages is also available at this library.
According to Librarian Hafiz Abdul Jaleel, Baba Shah Musafir founded the library to spread knowledge.
“The library was considered to be the largest one in Asia during that time. Now, it has around 2,500 rare books. After reopening the library, many students especially those who are engaged in research are thronging it. There is no entry fee,” Hafiz Abdul Jaleel informed.
People have appreciated the efforts of library’s restoration but say that it has a long way to go.
M.A. Haq, a historian in Auranagbad, expressed disappointment that such a library fell victim to colossal neglect for so long.
“This is a great failure, a disaster, that such a grand and important library has been decimated like this. It was one of the best libraries, once. But it is a matter of pride that with the efforts of the (Waqf) Board, the library would come to life,” said M.A. Haq, Aurangabad based historian.
Locals feel that if maintained properly, the library would benefit people of all walks of life.
[Picture: Aurangzeb reading the Quran. Photo: Wiki.]
Aurangabad: An 18th century library, housing manuscripts and a number of precious books including a version of the Quran penned by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, has been reopened after 70 years here at the historical monument Panchakki in Maharashtra.
According to library officials, Hazrat Babashah Musafir, who migrated to Aurangabad in 18th century from Bukhara in Russia [sic., in Uzbekistan today (former Soviet Union) ed.], founded the library as well as the Panchakki.
The library treasured about 100,000 books and writing pieces till Indian independence (1947). However, it was closed down in 1970s due to administrative reasons due to which many of the library books were shifted to Hyderabad.
The library presently houses 2,500 books on various subjects related to history, law, medicine, Sufism, religion and philosophy in Arabic, penned by philosophers, saints and scholars in Urdu and Persian languages.
The cover of holy Quran here has a coating of gold on both sides, which has been preserved till date.
Moreover, a holy book written in 1,283 in four languages is also available at this library.
According to Librarian Hafiz Abdul Jaleel, Baba Shah Musafir founded the library to spread knowledge.
“The library was considered to be the largest one in Asia during that time. Now, it has around 2,500 rare books. After reopening the library, many students especially those who are engaged in research are thronging it. There is no entry fee,” Hafiz Abdul Jaleel informed.
People have appreciated the efforts of library’s restoration but say that it has a long way to go.
M.A. Haq, a historian in Auranagbad, expressed disappointment that such a library fell victim to colossal neglect for so long.
“This is a great failure, a disaster, that such a grand and important library has been decimated like this. It was one of the best libraries, once. But it is a matter of pride that with the efforts of the (Waqf) Board, the library would come to life,” said M.A. Haq, Aurangabad based historian.
Locals feel that if maintained properly, the library would benefit people of all walks of life.
[Picture: Aurangzeb reading the Quran. Photo: Wiki.]
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3 comments:
Very interesting post, but please do not put Bukhara in Russia. It was not in Russia in Hazrat Babashah Musafirz’s time and it is not in Russia now.
Salam Don, thank you for your comment. I found it odd either, but when I searched Hazrat Baba on the web I found some references to "the Russian".
Probably by Russia it is loosely meant a geographical place (i.e. North of India), not a political one.
Perhaps the best thing would be, if you are interested in why the author of the article puts Bukhara in Russia, to contact him/her. You can do so by clicking on the title of the article, it will lead you to the original.
Regards,
Marina
(Managing editor)
Salam Don, thanks for calling this to our attention. The author was no doubt thinking of "the former Soviet Union" when he wrote that Bukhara was in Russia. We have now indicated this in the article.
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