records
The archive houses more than 7500 historic manuscripts. There are 5280 Sanskrit manuscripts dealing with various subjects, in addition to 2256 Hindi and Rajasthani manuscripts.
The collection also includes Urdu, Farsi, English, Tamil, and Marathi manuscripts, which are stored in the manuscripts section. The manuscripts are divided in two—Sanskrit manuscripts and Hindi and Rajasthani manuscripts.
Rare Sanskrit manuscripts:
This manuscript details the life of Maharaja Ajit Singh of Marwar (r. 1707-1724) and was composed by the great poet Balkrishna Dikshit
Authored by Shankar Bhatt, this manuscript deals with the practice of rituals such as fasting and worship.
Authored by Chakrapani Mishra, this manuscript codifies the rituals associated with the anointment of a new king. It was composed in 1676.
Authored by Pandit Sushen Ved, this is an Ayurveda treatise and details the medicinal uses of various herbs.
Apart from these, the collection includes other Sanskrit manuscripts such as Ajitodaya Mahakavya, Abhayodaya Mahakavya, ManBhaskarodaya Champu.
Some Hindi and Rajasthani manuscripts:
This manuscript recounts the reign of Maharaja Abhai Singh (r. 1724.1749) of Marwar. It was authored by Varibhan Ratnu.
This Hindi manuscript tells the story of Lord Vishnu’s 24 avatars. It was composed in V.S. 1733 in Pushkar by NahardasBarhat.
Authored by Harivallabh, this manuscript deals with music, singing and instruments.
Authored by DhanviAmardan in the 19th century, this Hindi manuscript holds a special place in the history of Hindi literature. It deals with ‘nayak/nayikabhed’ and the various ‘alankaras’.
This collection includes the Bahis of the royal family and is composed mainly of the Bahis of royal women such as the queens and concubines. From these Bahis one gets to know the administrative set up of royal women, their revenue, expenses, etc.
The textile store of ‘kapadonkakothar’ procured different types of textiles for royal use. These Bahis provide information on the kinds of textiles used, the artisans who created them, their wages, and the processes used. They date from the 18th century.
The jewelry store or ‘jawaharkhana’ procured and managed the royal jewels. These Bahis provide details related to the kinds of jewels worn, the craftsmen who were employed, their wages, and the processes and materials they used.
The royal house constructed palaces, water bodies, gardens and range of other structures in Jodhpur. These bahis give an account of their construction, the craftsmen employed, and the waged they were paid.
The collection includes some bahis of the Thikana of Chandelao. The bahis detail the extent of the Thikana, its revenue, the population, their occupations, etc.
The collection includes some bahis of the Thikana of Jasol. The bahis detail the extent of the Thikana, its revenue, the population, their occupations, the thikana’s relationship to the royal house etc.
Maharaja Man Singh of Jodhpur (r. 1803-1843) had bequeathed Mahamandir to his guru Deonath. Mahamandir was the abode of the NathSampraday in Jodhpur. These bahis include the ‘patta’ (deeds) for Mahamandir, its revenue records, expenses etc.
This collection includes bahis of which only one or two documents of a theme are available in the collection.
Digital Copies of Records housed at the Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner
When the Rajasthan State Archives was formed, records from different royal houses in Rajasthan were deposited with the State Archives for safekeeping and scholarly use. As a result, the Rajasthan state archives houses a collection of Marwar-related documents, Due to the efforts of H.H. Maharaja Gaj Singh II, a digital copy of these records is now available at the MMPP for the use of scholars.
The archive houses HakikatBahis dating from V.S.1820 to 1996. These bahis record the events of their time, including the celebration of festivals, the allotment of land deeds, weddings, etc.
There are 57 such documents that date from V.S.1975 to 2004. These record the events that took place in the state at this time.
These bahis date from V.S.1820 to 1967 and number 157. They are a valuable source for those seeking to learn about the economic, social and judicial systems of this period. The Sanad Parwana Bahis record the dealing that Marwar’s citizens had with the state, in the form of the petitions they made and the decisions that were taken on them.
These rare bahis date from V.S. 1671-1909 and are special due to the time period they cover. They records daily events at the royal court and in the various thikanas. There are 28 bahis in this collection.
This bahi records the various officials assigned to different task in the kingdom, the remuneration paid, and the periods they served. There are seven bahis in the collection that date from V.S>1765 to 1976.
These bahis record petitions made to the state from various parts of the kingdom and the decisions made on them. There are sevenbahis in this collection that date from V.S.1814 to V.S. 1913.
There are ten bahis in this collection that date from V.S. 1796 to V.S. 1917. They record the weddings of Marwar’s rulers, princes, and princesses. These bahis are a source of information on the customs and rituals followed, and the kind of textiles, food, and jewels that were consumed in this period.
Kharita Bahis are records of the correspondence carried on between Marwar and other states. They number 16 bahis and cover the period between V.S. 1775 and V.S. 1792.
These bahis record transaction related to the royal treasury and contain information pertaining to various royal departments. There are 13 bahis in the collection from the period V.S. 1918-1983.
These are bahis recording the personal expenses of the Maharaja. There are six bahis in this collection and thay date from V.S. 1824 to V.S. 1937.
These bahis record the letters sent from the Maharaja of Marwar to various local chiefs who ruled the territories of Marwar. There are 10 bahis in this collection and they date from V.S. 1863 to V.S. 1979.
Futkar bahis are bahis that deal with miscellaneous topics. There 59 records in this collection from the period V.S. 1862-1985.
These bahis deal with various records offices in the Marwar state, and contain information related to their finances, employees, their wages, etc. This records department reported directly to the Maharaja. This collection contains 59 bahis.
These bahis contain information pertaining to different departments in Jodhpur. There are 69 bahis in this collection from the period V.S. 1831-1932.
These bahis contain details of the land deeds handed out by Jodhpur Maharajas. There are 29 bahis in the collection from the period V.S. 1808-1914.
Jodhpur Maharajas granted land deeds to various family members such as his queens, concubines, and offspring. Land deeds were also issued in the name of various local chiefs, poets, bards and priests. These bahis contain details of such deeds issued by the state. There are 20 bahis in the collection from the period V.S. 1764.1935.
Mehkama Tavareekh Records
The Mehkama Tavareekh department was established by Maharaja Jaswant Singh II (r. 1873-1895). These bahis come under the non-archival collection of records and contain information pertaining to Marwar's villages, such as their revenue, agricultural production, and religious life. The bahis cover about 4500 villages and date from 1880 to 1940.
The Mehkama Khas was a major administrative body under which functioned 52 state departments. Information related to all of them can be found in this collection.
RECORDS:
This collection was donated to the MMPP by Shree Parasmalji Kheevsara in 1998 and is now available for scholars to study.
Renowned historian Jagdish Singh Gehlot had amassed a large collection of records which were donated to the MMPP upon his death by his son Sukhvir Singh. The collection contains both manuscripts and rare books.
These records from Thikana Timvari that relate to important inscriptions and correspondence, including letters exchanged with Maharaja Ajit Singh’s queens, were donated to the MMPP by Shree Prahlad Singh Rajpurohit.
Records related to the Jodhpur state found in Khetari were donated to the MMPP by them and are now available for study.
Padmashree Sitaram Lalas, a Rajasthani expert who composed who compiled a dictionary of the language, possessed an impressive collection of documents relating to Rajasthan’s history. Through his son Kailashdan Lalas, these were donated to the MMPP to be made available to scholars in the future.
A collection of rare books on Rajasthani literature once owned by the late Rajasthani language expert Pandit Suryakiran Parikh were donated to the MMPP by his son Pandit Krishna Shankar Parikh. These include books dating back to 1930.
The record room contains correspondence records that date from the reign of Maharaja Sardar Singh to Maharaja Hanwant Singh. It also contains details for their travels abroad,files related to the visits made to Jodhpur by Viceroys, Agents, the Prince of Wales, and other British officials, and files of the MehkamaKhas, Houshold, ‘Deshi’ Kitchen, ‘Angrezi’ Kitchen, Shikarkhana, Farashkhana, SardarRisala, Fort Guard, and records related to employees of various departments.
Our collection includes records of the royal household dating from 1890 to 1947. These contain information about all departments, their employees and their remuneration, the various festival celebrations, death rituals, correspondence with other states, etc.
Urdu, Farsi and Arabic Manuscripts
There are about 350 manuscripts in this collection that are 100 to 150 years old. There are also records of the Akbarkhana that date to the 16th century. These books were acquired from places outside Jodhpur during war campaigns.
Among Farsi manuscripts, the most notable are: Anwar Suhaili (Mullah Husain Baij), NawabWajir Mirza’s Anaaj Khusharvi (1865 AD), AbulFaz’l’s Al Asran, Guljare Hindi (Rai Kanhaiyyalal), GulistaVakaylurbi, Sakinama, Sikandarnama, etc.
Among Arabic manuscripts, the most notable are:Nusululu Shashi (1311 Hijra, Enisharenulukanj c. 1897, Yusuf Julokho (1884 AD). In addition, Arabic and Farsi manuscripts carried home by Shri PratapSinghji after fighting battles in Tehran are also part of the collection.
In Urdu, the AkhlaqMohsini (1279 Hijra, by Mullah Husain Baij), AakhbaNunsfa (Manjipur);Alif Laila Majnun (1290 Hijra), Jugarfiya Punjab (Director Punjab, 1861 AD), Mukhtavir Tarikh (1284 Hijra, Abdul Khader Badauni), Shiv Purana (Shankar dayal), and Simhasan Battisis (Munshi Ranglal Chaman) are especially notable.
