OdessaProsser28 at 20:24, 15 February 2026

2026-02-15T20:24:19Z

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{{Short description|Library in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox library
| library_name = Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library
| library_logo =
| image =
| caption =
| country = India
| location = [[Patna]], Bihar
| type = [[National library]]
| num_branches =
| established = {{Start date|df=yes|1891|10|29}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kblibrary.bih.nic.in |title=Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library (Historical Perspective) |website=kblibrary.bih.nic.in |access-date=2018-01-21}}</ref>
| items_collected = [[Manuscripts]], [[book]]s, [[Academic journal|journals]], [[newspaper]]s, [[magazine]]s, [[Sound recording|sound and music recordings]], [[patent]]s, [[database]]s, [[map]]s, [[Postage stamp|stamps]], [[Printmaking|prints]] and [[drawing]]s etc
| collection_size = 2,082,904 (printed books)<br /> 21,136 (manuscripts)<br /> (5,000,000 total items)
| legal_deposit = Yes, Institution of National Importance by Act of Parliament, 26 December 1969
| req_to_access = Open to anyone with a genuine need to use the collection
| budget =
| director = [[Shayesta Bedar]], (since January 2019)
| website = http://kblibrary.bih.nic.in/
}}
'''Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library''' is one of the national libraries of [[India]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Destinations :: Patna |url=http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/Patna.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140918091228/http://bstdc.bih.nic.in/patna.htm |archivedate=2014-09-18 }}</ref> located in [[Patna]], Bihar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/patna/patna-s-khuda-bakhsh-library-continues-to-draw-foreign-scholars/story-VZEszYPItr9jP2tFZpVhSO.html|title=Patna's Khuda Bakhsh library continues to draw foreign scholars|work=Hindustan Times |date=10 May 2019}}</ref> It was opened to public on 29 October 1891 by [[Khuda Bakhsh|Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh]] with 4,000 manuscripts, of which he inherited 1,400 from his father Maulvi Mohammed Bakhsh. It is an autonomous organization under [[Ministry of Culture (India)|Ministry of Culture]], [[Government of India]], and is governed by a Board with the [[Governor of Bihar]] as its ''ex officio'' Chairman, and is known for its rare collection of [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[Arabic]] [[manuscripts]]. It also hosts [[paintings]] made during the [[Rajput]] and [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] eras of [[India]].

It is also a designated 'Manuscript Conservation Centre' (MCC) under the [[National Mission for Manuscripts]].<ref>[http://www.namami.org/convervation.htm Manuscript Conservation Centres] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506234603/http://www.namami.org/convervation.htm |date=6 May 2012 }} ''[[National Mission for Manuscripts]]''.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Maulvi Khuda Bakhsh.jpg|thumb|Maulvi Khuda Bakhsh]]

===The person===
In 1895, he was appointed Chief Justice of the High Court of [[Nizam]]'s [[Hyderabad State|Kingdom]]. After staying there for almost 3 years, he returned to Patna again and started practicing. But soon he was suffering from paralysis and he limited his activity to the library only. Due to his illness, he could not complete his activities. Rs.8000 to pay debt and library secretary and Rs. 200 were sanctioned as pension. He could not recover from paralysis and died on 3 August 1908.

===Library===
The library finds its origin in private collection of a bibliophile Mohammad Bakhsh and expanded by his son Khuda Bakhsh, who inherited 1,400 manuscripts and continued to add to the collection and eventually converted it into a private library by 1880. The library was opened to public upon its inauguration by Sir [[Charles Alfred Elliott]], [[Governor of Bengal]] on 5 October 1891. After partition in 1947, Dr. [[S.V. Sohoni]] played a key role in ensuring that the collections were retained in India.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Godbole|first1=Sanjay|title=Nirapekśa Samśodhaka (निरपेक्ष संशोधक)|publisher=Lokasatta (लोकसत्ता) (Mumbai), Lokaraṅga supplement (लोकरंग पुरवणी)|date=31 March 2002|page=3}}</ref> In 1969 through a [[List of Indian federal legislation#1951.E2.80.931975|Federal Legislation]], an Act of Parliament, namely 'Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library Act' (1969), the [[Government of India]] declared Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library a centre of national importance and government took over the funding, maintenance and development of the library. Today it continues to attract scholars from all over the world.<ref name="ot"/>

Past directors of the library have been Dr. [[Abid Raza Bedar|Abid Reza Bedar]], who after remaining with the [[Raza Library]], came as Director to the institution in 1972, and did some important work towards reviving the library along with his successor Habibur Rehman Chighani, at present the Director of the library is the Dr. [[Shayesta Bedar]], since April, 2019. It is on its way to become the country's first library to computerize its hand written collection for universal dissemination.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pride of Patna|url=http://kblibrary.bih.nic.in/}}</ref>

In 2021, the demolition of parts of the historic library building was proposed as part of a project to construct a flyover.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kuchay|first=Bilal|title=Portion of India's historic Khuda Bakhsh library faces demolition|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/12/anger-over-plan-to-raze-part-of-iconic-indian-library-for-flyover|access-date=2021-05-25|website=www.aljazeera.com|language=en}}</ref> This has sparked controversy and several activists and organisations including [[Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage|INTACH]] have appealed against the demolition.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tewary|first=Amarnath|date=2021-04-11|title=INTACH opposes 'proposal' for partial demolition of Khuda Bakhsh library|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/intach-opposes-proposal-for-partial-demolition-of-khuda-bakhsh-library/article34292818.ece|access-date=2021-05-25|issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==Collection==
Some of the notable manuscripts are ''[[Timur]] Nama'' (''Khandan--Timuria''), ''Shah Nama'', ''[[Padshah Nama]]'', ''Diwan-e-[[Hafez|Hafiz]]'' and ''Safinatul Auliya'', carrying the autograph of [[Mughal Emperor]]s and princes and the book of Military Accounts of [[Ranjit Singh|Maharaja Ranjit Singh]]. Apart from it the library also has specimens of Mughal paintings, calligraphy and book decoration and Arabic and Urdu manuscripts, including a page of [[Quran]] written on deer skin.<ref name="ot">{{cite web|url=http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?309270 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131050436/http://news.outlookindia.com/item.aspx?309270 |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 January 2013 |title=Islamic knowledge house, Khuda Bakhsh Library retains glory |date=8 July 2005 |work=[[Outlook (Indian magazine)|Outlook]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-19/patna/28076763_1_khuda-bakhsh-oriental-public-deer-skin-visit|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103212439/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-19/patna/28076763_1_khuda-bakhsh-oriental-public-deer-skin-visit|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 November 2012|work=[[The Times of India]]|title=Ahluwalia, wife visit Khuda Bakhsh Library|date=19 November 2009}}</ref>

There are 21,136 manuscripts in the library of Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish and Pashto languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indiaculture.nic.in/khuda-baksh-oriental-public-library-patna|title=Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Patna | Ministry of Culture, Government of India|last=|first=|date=|website=|access-date=}}</ref>

The library also has a manuscript of [[Sahih al-Bukhari]] hand-transcribed by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Yazdan Bakhsh Bengali in [[Kapasia Upazila|Ekdala, eastern Bengal]]. The manuscript was a gift to the [[Sultan of Bengal]] [[Alauddin Husain Shah]].<ref name=emd>{{cite book |script-title=bn:হাদীছের তত্ত্ব ও ইতিহাস|page=24|language=bn |publisher=Emdadia Library |chapter=2.2 বঙ্গে এলমে হাদীছ |author=Mawlana Nur Muhammad Azmi |trans-title=Information and history of Hadith |trans-chapter=2.2 Knowledge of Hadith in Bengal}}</ref>
==Gallery==
<gallery>
file:Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library building.jpg|Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library Building
file:Seminar hall Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library.jpg|Seminar Hall Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library
file:Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library rare room.jpg|Rarities Viewing Room of Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library
file:Tomb of Khuda Bakhsh and family.jpg|Graves of Khuda Bakhsh and family
</gallery>
==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
* [[Sinha Library]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last= Khuda Buksh|first= S. |title=Essays Indian and Islamic|url=https://archive.org/stream/essaysindianisla00khud#page/126/mode/2up|year=1912|publisher= Probsthain & Co.|location= London}}
* Salahuddin Khuda Bakhsh and Sir [[Jadunath Sarkar]]. ''Khuda Bakhsh''. Patna, 1981.

==External links==
* [http://kblibrary.bih.nic.in/ Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library, website]
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1891 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Libraries in Patna]]
[[Category:Research libraries]]
[[Category:Education in Patna]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Patna]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Patna]]
[[Category:Museums in Patna]]
[[Category:Deposit libraries]]
[[Category:Libraries established in 1891]]
[[Category:Library buildings completed in 1891]]

Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library - Revision history

OdessaProsser28 at 20:24, 15 February 2026