Tonk Arabic-Persian Manuscript Heritage: A Scholarly Legacy

Tonk district was the seat of the Tonk Nawabs, a Muslim princely state established in the early 19th century that became a major centre of Islamic scholarship in Rajasthan. The Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Arabic and Persian Research Institute in Tonk houses over 3,000 rare Arabic and Persian manuscripts covering Sufi philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, medicine (Unani), and jurisprudence. Some manuscripts date from the 12th century. The collection includes annotated Qurans, astronomical tables, and commentaries by scholars who resided at the Tonk court. Traditional manuscript conservation uses sandalwood oil for insect protection and muslin wrapping for preservation. The Institute's digitisation programme is making these rare texts accessible to global scholars. Tonk's manuscript tradition represents a critical node in the transmission of classical Islamic knowledge through princely India.