Ayodhya (UP), March 23 The Rampur Raza Library will provide 17th-century Persian manuscripts of the Ramayana to the International Ram Katha Museum here, officials said.
Among the rare works is a Persian translation of the Ramayana by Mullah Masih Panipati from 1627, during the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir.
Another manuscript, 'Kissa-e-Ram Sita' by Ahmed Khan Gaflat, dates back to 1825.
The Rampur Raza Library houses over 17,000 rare manuscripts in various languages and around 83,000 printed books, including 13 Ramayana manuscripts and several related works.
Syed Tariq Azhar, the in-charge of the library's museum, said, "A true gem in the collection is the 'Valmiki Ramayana', uniquely illustrated and translated into Persian by Sumer Chand in 1715 during the times of Mughal emperor Farrukh Siyar."
Preparations for collaboration between the Rampur Raza Library and the International Ram Katha Museum have begun.
Director of the library Pushkar Mishra met museum coordinator Sanjeev Kumar on Monday to discuss the initiative.
"Ayodhya will become a center of research on the Ramayana as manuscripts from the library are made available here," Mishra said.
He said the library has proposed to provide original manuscripts as well as facsimile copies of rare Ramayana-related works from the 16th and 17th centuries.
The Rampur Raza Library, established in the late 18th century by the Nawabs of Rampur, is now managed by the Government of India and is known for its Indo-Islamic cultural heritage collections.