Treatises of mixed contents
[Preliminary Entry] The Tašrīḥ al-aqwām (Description of castes) is a voluminous treatise on the Indian castes, professions and religious orders. The text, divided into three parts (faṣl), was completed in 1825 at Hansi (Haryana) by James Skinner (1778-1841) and is based on Sanskrit sources which were translated into Persian for him. Skinner was the son of a Scottish officer and a Rajput mother and in 1830 wrote another Persian work, the Taḏkira al-umarā (Ms. London, British Library, Add. 24,051), an account of the princely dynasties of the Rajput and Sikh regions. Both works were dedicated to Major-General Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833), a Scot who knew Persian and was sent on a diplomatic mission to Iran and later became the governor of Bombay (1827-1830). The Tašrīḥ al-aqwām is illustrated with one hundred and four miniatures made by local artists.
F. S.
v) Information on colophon; vi) Description of miniatures/illustrations; vii) Other remarks; viii) Information on catalogue(s)
Illustrated manuscript:
London, British Library, Add. 27,255, 462 ff.
, i) Hansi, ii)1825
, viii)Rieu, vol. 1, pp. 65-67
.Rieu, Charles, 1879-1883, Catalogue of the Persian Manuscripts in the British Museum, 3 vols., London.
| Main Persian Title: | Tašrīḥ al-aqwām |
| English Translation of Main Persian Title: | Description of castes |
| Author: | James Skinner |
| Year / Period of Composition: | 1825 |
| Place: | Hansi |
| Dedicatee: | Sir John Malcolm (1769-1833) |