Skip to main content
Bonhams
Search
Previous Lot
Next Lot
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 1
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 2
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 3
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 4
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 5
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 6
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 7
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 8
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 9
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 10
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 11
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 12
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 13
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 14
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 15
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 16
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 17
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 18
An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century image 19
Lot 227•

An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings
Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century

Islamic and Indian Art
22 May 2025, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £14,080 inc. premium

Own a similar item?

Submit your item online for a free auction estimate.

How to sell

Looking for a similar item?

Our Islamic and Indian Art specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.

Find your local specialist

Ask about this lot

An illustrated and illuminated manuscript of the Razmnama or Razm-nameh, The Book of Wars, the Persian prose translation of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, with eighteen paintings
Kashmir, first half of the 19th Century

Persian manuscript on paper, 622 leaves, incomplete, misbound, 21 lines to the page written in nasta'liq in a provincial hand, with a second scribe working on some leaves, significant words underlined in red, inner margins ruled in gold, black, orange and green, occasional marginal comments in nagari script, 17 illuminated headpieces in colours and gold, 18 paintings in gouache and gold, front flyleaf with ownership inscription and seal impression, stamped red cloth binding
335 x 190 mm.

Footnotes

Provenance
According to a note in the manuscript, apparently once owned by a Sikh, Arjun Singh, son of Mangal Singh (unidentified), purchased 'from foreign merchants' at Kapurthala, Punjab, in the month of Jeth [samvat?] 1903/mid-June-mid-July 1845; his seal impression dated AH 1253/AD 1837-38.
Private collection, Switzerland.


The Razmnama or Razm-nameh is the abridged version of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata, which tells the story of the rivalry between cousins, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, over the kingdom of Hastinapura. A central figure is the god Krishna, who assists the Pandava brothers. In 1582-83 the Mughal Emperor Akbar famously first commissioned a Persian translation of the epic poem, which was completed in 1586. It became known by its Persian title Razmnama (Book of Wars). For discussion of this, see J. Seyller, Workshop and Patron in Mughal India, Zurich 1999, pp. 252-257.

In our manuscript, while the text is that of the Persian version, the Razm-nameh, every heading throughout refers to the section as that of the Mahabharata.

A note in fine nasta'liq is written by the owner Arjun Singh son of Mangal Sin (unidentified) who says through guidance from (the deity) Sri Gopal Ji, he purchased this manuscript for 33 pools from foreign merchants at Kapurthala in the month of Jeth, the year 1903 (mid June-mid July, 1845). There is also his seal impression: Arjun Singh 1253 (AD 1837-38). He also wrote undated short notes of ownership on other pages.

One section (in the fourteenth Book) is in a different hand.

The section headings and paintings are as follows:
1. The preface to the text has a (slightly damaged) illuminated heading.
2. Ganesh and Vishnu, with a storyteller and his audience below.
3. The opening to the first book (fann), with the text in verse form. The snakes consumed by fire.
4. The opening to the second book, with the text in prose form.
Midit Vit [?] sent by Arjun to the court of Shri Krishna Ji.
5. The opening to the third book that is called Vana Parva (spelt Ban Parb).
The Pandavas on their way, walking en echelon, to the Kauravas (spelt Kurdan) to bring peace.

The manuscript misbound at this point, with the fourth and fifth books coming later.

6. The opening to the sixth book.
The two heads of the Kauravas and Pandavas ready to go to war, seated in chariots.
7. The opening to the seventh book.
The Kauravas and Pandavas in battle.
8. The opening to the eighth book.
The meeting and discussion between the two armies, after the death of Drona.

[9]. The ninth book is missing.

10. The opening to the tenth book.
Ashwatthama (spelt Ashwatha) killing Duryodhana (spelt Daryudis) with a mace.
11. The opening to the eleventh book.
Women mourning their sons' deaths, but the dead are revived by Krishna.
12. The misbound opening to the fourth book that is called Virata Parva (spelt Yirat Pirb).
Arjuna at the court of Shri Krishna.
13. The opening to the fifth book.
The Kauravas and Pandavas meeting to talk of peace, with Krishna between them.
14. The manuscript misbound at this point: A painting not opposite an illuminated headpiece, apparently depicting the crowning of Yadhishthira, which appears in the twelfth book (the heading for which is missing).
15. The opening to the thirteenth book.
Bhishma of Kaurvas on his death bed (seen lying diagonally), advising the new ruler.
16. The opening to the fourteenth book.
Yudhishthira (spelt Yudshathir) conducting the ceremony of Ashvamendha.
17. The opening to the fifteenth book.
Stories of the reign of Dhritarashtra (spelt Raja Budshatr) and his brothers, are told to Bhishma.
18. The opening to the sixteenth book.
The internal strife among the Yadava clan and their destruction.
19. The opening to the seventeenth book.
The great journey (once again made en echelon) of Yudhishthiras (spelt Yudshthir) and his family and their ascent to the Himalayas.
This section is incomplete.
20. The opening to the eighteenth book.
Yudhishthira's final test and the return of the Pandavas to the spiritual world.

The last two pages are the end of a section, relating to Dhritarashtra (spelt Budshatr) talking with his brothers, with the text not running, indicating it is misbound.
What appears to be a colophon on the last page is not. The last page has the ownership note, as well as the end of the text and a statement that it took a certain Mahapuran three years to write it, and he asks the reader to remember him and pray for him. (Mahapurana means 'great ancient [text]'. According to tradition it took Veda Vyasa, the supposed author of the Mahabharata, three years to compose it.

Additional information