Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books

Select manuscript acquisitions January 1970 to June 1973.This covers the more important acquisitions since the last list published in the

British Museum Quarterly, xxxvi (1972), pp. 59-60

AMHARIC

ETHIOPIC

ARABIC

105 manuscripts woro acquirod, tho followingboing tho most important:

Muhtasar 'Aga'ib al-mahluqat, an abridge-ment of al-Qazwini's cosmographical treatiso.Nashi; 1397. Or. 13230.

Yusuf ibn Ishaq al-Isra'ili, Kitab al-Musta'ini,on simplodrugs. Magribi; i9th-20th century;Morocco. Illuminations. Or. 13248.

The Qur'an. Fine Nashi; 17th century; Persiaor India. Rich illuminations in Ottoman-Safavid-Mughal style; original binding. Or.

13279-Mahmud ibn 'Umar az-Zamahsari, al-Kassaf'an haqa'iq at-tanzil, commentary on theQur'an. Fine small Nashi, with headings inXulut; 1428; Egypt (copied for SultanBarsbay). MamlUk illuminations; originalbinding. Or. 13286.

al-(^zwini, Atar al-bilad wa-ahbar al-'ibad,a geographical treatiso. Nashi; i6th century.Or. 13314.

Abu l-'Abbas Ahmad at-Jabari, 'Aga'ib as-samawat wa-l-ard, on astronomy, cosmology,and topography. Nashi; 1705. Diagrams.Or. 13325.

Muhyi d-Din al-Gudami ar-Rawhi, ar-Rawdah az-zahirah fi hitat al-Qahirah, onthe topography of Cairo. Nashi; 1607. Or.

Muhammad ibn Sakir al-Kutubi, 'Uyun at-ta warih. Part 9 of a genoral history. Nashi;14th century. Autograph copy; original bind-ing. Or. 13319.

ad-Durr al-mandud fi 'aga*ib al-wugud, acosmographical treatiso. Nashi; probably i6thcontury. Or. 13321.

Nagm ad-Din Mahmud as-Sirazi, al-Hawi fit-tadawi, a modical compendium. Nashi;1331. MamBk illuminations. Or. 13383. Pur-chased with funds from the Mew Bequest.

The Qur'an. Exquisite Nashi, with headingsin Tulut; c. 15th century. MamlUk illumina-tions. Or. 13386.

The Qur'an, vol. 16 of 30 vols. Nashi, withheadings in Xulut; 1566. Illuminations. Or.

13390-Muhammad Rasid al-Muhasib, Mulham al-Qur'an, a comprehonsivo analytical index totho Qur'an. Ottoman Nashi; 1874; Turkey.Or. 13448.

Mahmud ibn Sadr as-§ari*ah al-Awwal,Wiqayat ar-riwayah fi masa'il al-Hidayah,legal manual of the Hanafi school, withmarginal comments. Nashi; 1491. Or. 13450.

BATAK

Sarang timah, two war amulets. Bone;Karo-Batak script; 19th contury; Sumatra.Drawings. Or. i333o(A-B).

BALINESEKamal ad-Din Ga'far al-Udfuwi, at-Tali' as-saMd al-gami' asma* al-Fudala' wa-r-ruwahbi-aMa s-Sa*id, biographical dictionary of Pitrloka, on the sufferings ofthe dead in hell.eminent men of Uppor Egypt. Nashi; 15th Paim-loavos; 19th century. Miniatures. Or.century. Or. 13318. 13380.

99

BliRMESE

Mandalay court on country circuit, six paint-ings in a folding-book [parabaik). Mid-i9thcentury; Mandalay. Or. 13291.

Shwoibo myo gyi pum, map of Shwoibo town.Mid-i9th century. Or. 13307.

Silavarnsa, Parami khan: prui. lahka, on theperfections of tho Buddha, with somo Paligdthds. Palm-lea vos; 1805. Or. 13374.

See also SHAN

CHINESE

Yonglo da dian, chlian 13201-3, previouslyunrecorded volume of the encyclopedia of1408; incomplete. 1567. Or. 13292.

Qun fang and Du cao, two volumes of flowerpaintings, with descriptive texts. 19th contury.Or. i3347(A-B).

ETHIOPIC

Magical, Biblical, and liturgical texts.i6th-2Oth contury. Or. 13262-75 and Or.13308-9. Presented by The Wellcome Instituteofthe History of Medicine.

Mashaf sor'at. Anaphora ofthe Blessed VirginMary, in Ethiopic and Amharic. Parchment;20th century. 3 miniatures. Or. 13278.

HEBREW

JAPANESE

Ezo-shi and Ezo Dochuki, two accounts oftheisland of Hokkaido, tho lattor by TatonoZuigon. Mid-i9th contury. Illustrations. Or.13285-

Matsutake monogatari, a Muromachi-periodnovel. Nara-emaki scroll; mid-17th century.5 miniatures. Or. 13385. Presented by Mr.Shigeo Sorimachi.

KANNADA

Kaditam, an account book of the type usedonly by tho merchants of Mysore. Black paperfolding-book; 18th-19th century; Mysore.Or. 13343. Presented hy Dr. Albertine Gaur.

LAO

MALAY

Taj al-Salatin, a book of instruction for princes.Jawi script; 1824; Penang. Illuminations.Or. 13295.

NEPALI

Petition of Rajendra Vikrama Sah, Maharajaof Nopal, to tho Emporor of China, in Nopaliand Persian. Illuminated yellow scroll;Dovanagari and Nasta'liq; 1828; Kathmandu.Or. 13288.

ORIYA

Siddur, Daily and Festival Prayer Book accord-ing to the Italian rite. Vollum; 15th contury;Italy. Or. 13260.

Monahom ben Me'ir SiyyonI, Sepher Siyyuni, Acyutananda-dasa, Harivarnsa-janmakhanda,a kabbalistic commentary on the Pentateuch. f K P l l hi5th-i6th century. Or. 13261.

Sedhor tikkun k^ri'ath sh^ma' she-'al ham-mittah, night prayors. 1736. Miniatures. Or.13296.

See also URDU

life of Krsna. Palm-loaves; 19thcontury; Orissa. Or. 13373.

HINDI

^akunavali, a book of divination. Dovanagari;19th contury; Kashmir. Miniatures. Or. 13254. Hemsley.

100

PALI

Bhikkhu-patimokkha, I-III , and Pavarana,two Buddhist ritual texts. Gilded andlacquered palm-leavos; Burmeso square-script; oarly 19th contury. In an ornamentedbox. Or. 13299. Bequeathed by Mrs. I. C.

Tatiya padumaip Buddha-phu thuan, on tholifo ofthe Buddha, in Pali and Lao. Folding-book; Tham script; 19th century; Laos.Or. 13360.

See also BURMESE

PANJABI

A miscellany, including tracts on modicinesand orotics, mado for Maharani Jhindan,mothor of Dulip Singh of Lahore. Gurmukhiscript; first half of 19th century. Or. 13231.

PERSIAN

Filnama, on elephant-lore. Nasta'liq; i8th-19th century; Kashmir. 21 miniatures. Or.

13255-Nizami, Khamsa, five lyric poems. EarlyNasta'liq; 1386-8; Baghdad. 23 miniatures inthe style of the Jalayirid court; illuminations.Or. 13297. [See British Museum Quarterly,XXXVI. 8-II, pis. I I-IIL]

Hafiz, Divan, collected poems. NastaMiq;1538; Turkey. 5 miniatures; contemporarybinding. Or. 13324.

Gulam Qadir Girami (d. 1927), Ruba'iyyat-iGirami, poems in Persian and Urdu. Auto-graph baydz. Ta^iq; 20th century; India.Or. 13384. •

See also NEPALI

PRAKRIT

Kalpasutra, from tho Jain Canon, with aSanskrit gloss; incomplete. Jain Nagari; late15th century; western India. 13 miniatures.Or. 13341.

Kalpasutra; incomploto. Jain Nagari; c. 1600;western India. 4 miniatures. Or. 13342.

Uttaradhyayanasutra, from tho Jain Canon,with a Sanskrit avacurni. Jain Nagari; late15th century; wostorn India. 3y miniatures.Or. 13362.

SANSKRIT

century; Nepal. 48 miniatures; illustratedbinding-boards. Or. 13219.

Jambudvipacanaksya, a Jain cosmologica! map.Cloth painting {pata); Jain Nagari; early 16thcontury; western India. Or. 13294.

Alladanatha, Nirnayamrta, on times suitablefor certain coremonios, and other ritual tracts.Birchbark; Sarada script; 16th-17th contury;Kashmir. Contemporary leather binding. Or.13300.

Madanapala, Madanavinodanighantu, on thomodicinal properties of plants and foods, ina unique recension. Nowari script; 18thcontury; Nepal. Or. 13333A.

See also PRAKRIT

SHAN

Scones from the life of a Burmeso princo, threepaintings in a folding-book [parabaik), withShan and Burmoso descriptions. Mid-i9thcentury; Shan States. Or. 13293.

Tra: tau caw phuin nai cain hik cuiw lik cawki hi caritta:, on Buddhist doctrine andreligious law. Folding-book {pap); mid-19thcentury; north-oast Burma. Or. 13440.

SINHALESE

Riri-yaka yantra, an illustrated amulet, i8th-19th century; and an illustrated horoscopefor a girl born in 1885. Palm-lcavos. Or.1331 i(A-B). Transferred from the Departmentof Ethnography.

TAMIL

Auvaiyar, a pootical work of tho Sanghamperiod. Palm-leaves; r. 1880; south India.Or. 13258.

Work on grammar and languages, probablywritten for a mission school, on Tamil,Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Marathi.Palm-leaves; c. 1800; south India. Or. 13259.

THAI

Astrological and legal treatiso. Folding-bookTantric text, on tho worship of Mahakala and [samut-khoi); i8th-i9th contury. Drawings.serpents. Folding-book; Nowari script; i8th Or. 13365.

lOI

Rachathirat (Rajadhiraj), Thai version of thehistory of the Mons, an oarly unique rocon-sion. 1847. Or. 13389.

TURKISH

NevMzade 'Ata'i, Hamse, four of tho fivepooms. NostaMIk; lato 17th-18th century.Illuminations. Or. 13348.

Yusuf Nabi, Zeyl-i Siyor-i nebovi, a continua-tion of Voysi's work on the lifo of tho Prophet.

Nosta'Hk; 18th century. Original binding.Or. 13352.

*A§ik Govhorl, Divan-i Gevheri, collectedpoems, in a uniquo recension. Noshi; socondhalf of i8th century. Or. 13381.

URDU

Amanat, Indor sabha, a fairy talo. Urdu inHebrew charactors; 1887; Calcutta. Minia-tures. Or. 13287.

See also PERSIAN

Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books

Manuscript acquisitions July to December 1973This is a complete list of acquisitions since the formation of the British Library

Items of exceptional textual interest are marked with an asterisk; those ofexceptional artistic interest with a dagger

ARABIC

Qur*an soloctions, followed by traditionalprayers. Nashi; 1555; Turkey. Illuminations.Or. 13453.

See also PERSIAN; TURKISH

BALINESE

Rites of magical character for warriors. Palm-leavos; late 19th century; Bali. Or. 13490(1-2).

ENGLISH

Throe Tamil Hindu pooms translated by thoRovd. Thomas Foulkes botween i860 and1863. Or. 13462-4.

GUJARATI

See PRAKRIT; SANSKRIT

Nakula, ^alihotra-tika or Asva-cikitsa, onfarriery. Devanagari; i8th contury; westernIndia. 131 miniatures. Or. 13461.

Jain mandala, illustrating the twenty-fourTirtharikaras. Dovanagari captions; 19thcontury; Jaipur. Or. 13472. Presented by Mr.and Mrs. E. M. Prokofiev.

40

MON

Dhammacakkappavattanasutta, in a Mon ver-sion, with fragments of another Buddhisttext. 19th contury; Lower Burma. Or.i35oi(A-B).

PALI

Dhammacakkappavattanasutta, with Sinhalesesannaya; incomploto. Sinhalese script; 19thcentury. Or. 13469.

HINDI PERSIAN

Madhumalati, a mystical love poem in tho Hidayat Allah Sirazi, Hidayat ar-raml^ orAvadhi dialoct. Devanagari; late i8th con- Qava'id al-hidayat, on goomancy. NastaMiq;tury; Rajasthan. 136 miniatures. Or. 13460. 1817; India. Diagrams. Or. 13491.

1 0 2

Sah 'Abd al-'Aziz Dihlavi, Fath al-'Aziz or Bookofdivinations, with Sanskrit and GujaratiTafsir-i *Azizi, a commontary on tho Qur'an; explanations. Devanagari;early 19thcontury;incomplete. NastaMiq and Nashi; 19th cen- wostorn India. Miniatures. Or. 13458.

Saiigrahaniyantra, tablos and diagrams on Jaincosmology and cosmography. Jain Nagari;1643; Multan. Or. 13459.

Gajasastra, on olophant-loro, with a Sinhalesetranslation. Palm-leavos; Sinhalese script;19th contury; Coylon. Or. 13470.

f Kalikacaryakatha, anonymous version of thotalo of tho monk Kalika. Jain Nagari; 1639;Ahmadabad. 6 miniatures. Or. 13475.

Manatufiga Acarya, Bhaktamarastotra, a hymnto the Tirtharikara Rsabha. Jain Nagari;1763; wostorn India. Illuminations. Or.13478-

Homacandra, Sabdanusasana, with tho auto-commentary Laghuvrtti, on Sanskrit gram-mar; incomploto. Jain Nagari; 17th contury;wostern India. Or. 13481.

Narapati, Narapatijayacaryasvarodaya, onprognostications; incomplete. Jain Nagari;late i8th century; western India. Diagrams.Or. 13482.

Mahadova Bhatta, Muhurtadipika, astrologicalwork. Jain Nagari; 1735; wostern India.Diagrams. Or. 13483.

Kasinatha Bhattacarya, Sighrabodha, astro-logical work. Two different recensions. JainNagari; i8th century; wostorn India. Draw-ings and diagrams. Or. 13484-5.

Vivahapatala, on tho propitious moments forweddings, with Gujarati gloss. Jain Nagari;1779; Jalor (Marwar). Or. 13486.

Harsaratna, Jatakadipikapaddhati, on horo-scopy, with Gujarati gloss. Jain Nagari; 1834;Gujarat. Or. 13487.

Narapati, Narapatijayacaryasvarodaya, chap-tor 3. Jain Nagari; 1806; wostern India.Diagrams. Or. 13488.

Almanac for tho year 1844-5. A scroll;Devanagari; western India. Illustrations. Or.

13489-Visnusahasranama, hymn to Visnu from tho

Mahabharata. Palm-leaves; minute Oriyascript; i8th century; Orissa. Or. 13494.

tury; India. Or. 13492.Muhammad Baqir ibn Muhammad TaqiMajlisi Isfahani, Tuhfat al-abrar, a Si'a workon rites and observances of prayer. NastaMiq;19th contury. Or. 13493.

PRAKRIT

t Candra Suri, Sangrahanlsutra, on Jaincosmography. Jain Nagari; 1642; Cambay.Miniatures. Or. 13454.

Kalpasutra, from the Jain Canon, with Sanskritmarginal glossos. Jain Nagari; mainly early15th century; western India, J J miniatures.

Or. 13455-Candra Suri, Sarigrahanisutra, a differentrecension, with a Gujarati gloss. Jain Nagari;1812; Sojat (Marwar). Miniatures. Or. 13456.

f Uttaradhyayanasutra, from the Jain Canon,with Arthalavalesa gloss in Sanskrit andGujarati. Jain Nagari; 1537; Surat. 2 minia-tures. Or. 13476.

Sadavasyakasutra, from the Jain Canon, withGujarati bdldvabodha. Jain Nagari; 1677;Patan. J miniature. Or. 13477.

Dharmadasa, Upadesamalaprakarana, a sum-mary of Jain beliefs. Jain Nagari; wostornIndia. 2 copios, i8th and 17th centuries.Or.13479-80.

Candra Suri, Sangrahanlsutra, another recen-sion. Jain Nagari; i642;Pawagadh.Or. 13495.

Vairagyasataka, Jain poem on freodom fromearthly dosiros, with Gujarati gloss. JainNagari; i8th century; Gujarat. Or. 13498.'

SANSKRIT

Bhaskara, the Lilavati from his Siddhanta-siromani, on mathematics. Jain Nagari; 1640;Ahmadabad. Miniatures; with a paintedmanuscript-holder. Or. i3457(A-B).

103

AnabhutisvaiQpacarya, Sarasvatiprakriya,on tho Sarasvata system of Sanskrit grammar.Jain Nagari; 1716; Jaisalmor. Or. 13496.

* Vagbhata, Vagbhatalahkara, on poetics, withtho tikd of Jinavardhana Suri. Jain Nagari;1450; wostorn India. Or. 13497.

Bhattoji Diksita, Siddhantakaumudi, rocast ofPanini's grammar. Jain Nagari; 17th century;western India. Or. 13499.

* Hemacandra, Sabdanusasana, chapters 6-7,witb the auto-commontary Brhadvrtti, onSanskrit grammar. Jain Nagari; 1467;Ahmadabad. Or. 13500.

Jayadeva, Gitagovinda, lyric poem. Paim-loavos; Oriya script; i8th contury; Orissa.Miniatures. Or. 13502.

See also PRAKRIT

SHAN

Buddhist text; incomplete. Yunnanese Shan(Payi) cursive script, on silk paper; 19thcontury; Yunnan. Or. 13474.

SINHALESE

Buddhaputta Thora, Pujavaliya, compilationof traditional tales on tho Buddha. Palm-loaves; 19th century; Ceylon. Or. 13451.

See also P A L I ; SANSKRIT

SYRIAC

* New Testament (with the Minor CatholicEpistles) and various homilies of St. Ephraimand St. James. Jacobite script; 1475. Con-temporary binding. Or. 13465.

TURKISH

Soyh Vefa, a calendar and other astronomicaltables. Neshi; mid-i7th century. Or. 13452.

Ebu 1-FazI 'Abdullah el-Yefiisehri, Behcotul-fetava, a collection of fetva. NostaMik;1739-40. Or. 13466.

Seyh Isma'il el-Ankirevi, commentaries on twoArabic mystical poems, Ibn al-Farid's qasidatal-Hamriyya, and Ibn an-Nahw!'s qasidat al-Munfariga, the lattor incomplete. Noshi;1829. Or. 13467.

Mahmud ibn 'Abd Iil-Vehhab el-Hamidi,translation from the Arabic of Ibrahim ibnMuhammad al-Halabi's Multaqa 1-abhur, onjurisprudence. Noshi; 1798-9. Or. 13468.

Ottoman Turkish comments on Arabic prayors.Neshi; 1840-1. Or. 13471. Presented by MissD. Morris.

Lami'i Celobi, Serof ul-insan, a free transla-tion from Arabic of tho twenty-first tract oftho Rasa'il Ihwan as-safa'. Noshi; 17thcontury. Illuminations. Or. 13473.

104