Hyderabad: A royal farman, said to be the second oldest in India — issued by Sultan Feroz Shah Bahmani (1397–1422) in 1406 — will be among close to two lakh manuscripts identified as part of the survey by the Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM) in Telangana. The GBM is a national initiative by the Union culture ministry to unearth, preserve and digitise India’s massive manuscript heritage.
This decree on Persian‑style handmade paper is 33 x 10 inches in size, with ink and royal‑seal authentication. The document was issued from Gulbarga, which was the seat of power for the Bahmanis before it was shifted to Bidar. The decree grants land as inam to Muhammed Ahmed, Qazi of Kalyani, and bears the distinctive tughra (monogram) and the Bahmani royal seal.
“The handmade paper used for the farman is a rare example showcasing the royal practices of the time,” M.A. Raqeeb, assistant director, Telangana Archives, told Deccan Chronicle.
Another well‑preserved royal farman is of Emperor Shah Alam II, issued in 1773 AD, appointing Maharaja Narayan Rao Bahadur as official caretaker of the riverbank near Allahabad. Believed to be part of preparations for the Kumbh Mela, the emperor issued clear instructions to officials not to levy fees.
“All expenses for maintaining the site and facilitating the pilgrims’ rituals are to be borne entirely by the Mughal government,” the decree says.
According to the decree, Hindu pilgrims (yatris) arriving from across the subcontinent — especially from Gujarat and Maharashtra — must be allowed to take the sacred bath and holy dip for spiritual purification without any fee or levy. The directive is to be strictly implemented and communicated to the commissioner of police and all present and future officers for perpetual observance.
“This farman illustrates the Later Mughal policy of imperial patronage toward diverse religious practices and underscores the state’s responsibility for safeguarding pilgrimage routes and sacred bathing ghats,” Raqeeb explained.
The cluster centre at the State Archives has identified and completed surveys of 17 institutions and individuals, while surveys for another 42 are underway. It has so far scanned 57,842 documents and exported 29,871 images.
Dr Zareena Parveen, director, State Archives, and coordinator of the Cluster Centre, GBM, explained that the survey has identified 1,95,935 manuscripts, including those of the Telangana Archives, and a total of 29,871 images of 130 manuscripts had been uploaded till May 2.
“At the State Archives alone we have over 1.8 lakh manuscripts, including 668 in book form, 155,000 paper items and 25,000 private collections (paper). Most of these are in Old Persian (Shikista) and cover varied subjects, including graphic pictures of Mansabdari, revenue and military systems of the Mughals in the Deccan region (South India),” Dr Parveen director explained.
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