Bhagavad Gita , India, Kashmir, 17th"19th century, Carbon black ink and pigments on paper with textile covering, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, MSS 01106,

Bhagavad Gita , India, Kashmir, 17th"19th century, Carbon black ink and pigments on paper with textile covering, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, MSS 01106,

The contents (Sanskrit text and Hindu iconography), materials (Islamic burnished paper and Indian textiles), and format (Islamic-style binding of this manuscript of the Hindu Bhagavad Gita) all illuminate the fecund encounter of Persian and South Asian cultures in the valley of Kashmir. Poised for battle against his kinsmen, the prince Arjuna cannot go on. At this crucial moment, his chariot driver, the god Krishna in disguise, suddenly reveals himself as a manifestation of Vishnu, encompassing all gods and even the universe itself. Arjuna's princely dress and courtly posture are those of the Muslim Mughal court, while Krishna's unveiling draws upon Hindu concepts of the holy. <br> This manuscript also tells a complex story of book technology and cultural entanglement. Micro-CT analysis (seen at [TK]) confirms that its exquisite Indian mashru fabric, imported from Gujarat, extends around the whole cover, beneath the plain overlayer. The book has an Islamic-style pentagonal flap binding, but because Sanskrit is read in the opposite direction from Arabic and Persian, that flap wraps around on the right rather than the left.

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

17th to 19th century

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

Dimensions: 15.5 x 12.0 x 5.7cm (lwh) (+11.3 for the flap)

Material: carbon black ink and pigments on paper, textile

Sanskrit

Fisher MSS 01106

Kashmir