Hindu manuscript of the Bhâgavata Purâna, Kashmir, 19th cent - Lot 7

Hindu manuscript of the Bhâgavata Purâna, Kashmir, 19th century. Manuscript on oblong paper with six lines of text per page in devanagari in black ink, some characters in red ink, the text set in a frame with orange, red and blue borders. The text is punctuated by 33 illustrations in gouache and gold, framed by a black border punctuated by white rosettes and a wide orange margin, one with a green border and red margin. The gouaches depict gods from the Hindu pantheon, principally Krishna. Binding size: 11.8 x 20 cm One page detached, one page torn out, binding worn, five vignettes probably from another manuscript pasted later on two endpapers, a few later marginal or interlinear notes on some folios, light stains, folds and tears. The Bhâgavata Purâna is one of the most important Hindu sacred texts written in Sanskrit and known as the Purânas. It is the sacred book of the Bhâgavatas, the devotees of Vishnu. Comprising 18,000 stanzas, it is said to be one of the most recent of the Purânas, probably written after the 10th century. Its main subject is the life of the god Krishna, one of Vishnu's avatars, but it also deals with cosmology, genealogy, mythology and many other themes.