A Peek Into The Manuscripts

Manuscripts are the links to the historical facts that will otherwise remain unknown to the world. They contain authentic information and facts about the social, political and cultural aspects of a nation. Therefore their intellectual value cannot be over emphasized. Many countries and nations are joining hands towards preserving such cultural assets by way of taking conservation and preservation measures including digitization and documentation.Marsiya or Elegy has gained more importance after the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s) and his companions and household in Karbala. Marsiya has been since written and recited in order to mourning the tragic events of Karbala. Many Marsiya manuscripts are available in different languages written during different times by many great writers and poets like Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Balti, Punjabi and Kashmiri. These Marsiya manuscripts are being used to be recited at different occasions especially during the month of Muharram-ul-Haram. Many of these Marsiya manuscripts are at the verge of extinction owning to need of preservation and conservation. The study had identifying and documenting some of the Kashmiri Marsiya manuscripts.