Khuda Baksh Oriental Public library at Patna

Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, is by the road of Ashok Rajpath. This is a National Library of high importance, enacted in 1969. It is a treasure house for the Urdu literature. It has some of the  rarest manuscripts of the world.
It has a collection of  21000 manuscripts and 2.5 lakh printed books.The library, originally belonged to Mohammad Baksh, which was later expanded by his son Khuda Baksh. Khuda Baksh,had an inheritance of 1400 manuscripts. He send a person to the Arab World , to get the rare manuscripts. In 1888. he build the new premises and opened the building next year, with 4000 manuscripts. He died in 1908.The Government, gave it a National Library Status, in 1969, seeing the collection of the library.The library attracts scholars, across the world.
It has, not only a very rich collection in Urdu but also rare Persian manuscripts. There are rare books from the Sultanate and the Mughal period. The collection of manuscripts also include such artworks belonging to Iran, Mughal period, Central Asia, Kashmir  and Rajasthan..These are written in Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Hindi and Sanskrit. It also have manuscripts, written on palm leaves and also with very good  calligraphy. Some of the famous one are Timur Nama, Shah Nama etc.
The library also has a printing press and publishes books. It publishes journals, every three months. The specializations that the library offers is Islamic studies, Unani medicine, Medieval and Asian history. The Lady Curzon reading room is for reading newspaper and magazines. Permission is required for the sight of the rare manuscripts. There is also a book selling unit, to buy books, at the back of the building.
It is located in the  Ashok Rajpath, reachable by autos and private taxis. The nearby places are Gandhi Maidan, Gandhi Ghat, Pathar ki Masjid and Har Mandir Takht. It is 5-6 km from Patna junction and 10 -11 km from the airport.