Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library

About this place

Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library, which was built in 1900, is situated along the banks of Ganga River. This library is home to a distinct collection of rare Arabic and Persian manuscripts, paintings from Mughal and Rajput Eras. The library is designated as Manuscript Conservation Centre under the National Mission for Manuscripts. The library was actually opened for public use in the year 1891 by Bihar Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh, however at that time it had only 4000 manuscripts out which 1400 were inherited from his father, Maulvi Mohammed Bakhsh. This tiny, but fascinating library-cum-museum, founded in 1900, contains a renowned collection of Arabic and Persian manuscripts, Mughal and Rajput paintings, and even the Quran inscribed in a book just 25mm wide. A significant exhibit is Nadir Shah’s sword-perhaps the very weapon he raised at Delhi’s Sunehri Mosque in 1739 to order the massacre of the city’s residents.