Rare Manuscripts of Musafir Memorial Central State Library, Patiala: A Hidden Treasure

This paper endeavors to depict the role and importance of manuscripts for the creation, preservation and promotion of art, history, culture, literature, tradition and civilization of a country. For this purpose manuscripts, especially the rare ones are very indispensable as primary sources of the subject. The researchers make efforts to authenticate their subject by locating their findings in the primary sources. Hence, the present paper also provides an opportunity for all those researchers by introducing to them a great library-M.M.C.S. Library which has preserved a great many rare manuscripts. The paper also present some of the very rare manuscripts alongwith illustrations so that anyone may be rightly introduced to the library and manuscripts present on its shelves. In fact the paper lay bare a treasury before researchers and knowledge seekers, which remained hidden from public scrutiny so far.