Important Notice

More Images

Sourindro Mohun Tagore, Mani-Málá; or, A Treatise on Gems, Calcutta: Printed by I. C. Bose & Co., Stanhope Press; Published by the Author, 1879–81. First edition

(In 2 Volumes)
Volume I: [22] iv [2] 1-506 pages, letterpress English title-page, additional decorative title-page with the portrait of Sourindro Mohun Tagore, 1879
Volume II: [18], xiv, ii, 509–1046 pp., 8 wood-engraved plates with 48 illustrations of famous diamonds. Text in English, with Sanskrit, Hindi, and Bengali references throughout; some sections printed in Devanagari and Bengali scripts, 1881
Rebound in recent beige cross-hatched linen over boards, with teal morocco title label to spine, lettered in gilt. Housed in a matching custom-made linen slipcase with a green-lined interior and thumb cut-out for ease of access (each)
9.5 x 6.25 x 2 in (24 x 16 x 5 cm) (each)


A GARLAND OF GEMS: SOURINDRO MOHUN TAGORE’S MANI-MÁLÁ, 1879–81 - A Rare First Edition Treatise Bridging Hindu Metaphysics and Modern Mineralogy

Mani-Málá (literally “Garland of Gems”) stands as one of the most ambitious and culturally integrative works on gemology to emerge from colonial India. Authored by Raja Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore, scion of the illustrious Tagore family, the treatise marries scholarship in Sanskrit classics and Puranic sources with modern scientific knowledge of mineralogy, engraving a distinctive cross-cultural synthesis.

Published in Calcutta between 1879 and 1881, Mani-Málá by Raja Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore is a landmark work in the history of gemological literature in colonial India. Written in English but drawing upon ancient Sanskrit sources and traditional Indian epistemologies, the two-volume work represents a singular fusion of classical Hindu metaphysics, indigenous knowledge systems, and contemporary mineralogical science. It exemplifies Tagore’s sustained commitment to intellectual modernity rooted in Indian tradition.

A polymath of the Bengal Renaissance and one of the most prolific cultural patrons of his time, Tagore was a visionary advocate for the documentation of India’s rich heritage across music, philosophy, ritual, and material culture. Mani-Málá occupies a distinguished place among his many authored works for its scholarly breadth, multilingual erudition, and its commitment to what may be called an indigenous science of precious stones.

Volume I opens with an ornate title page in English and Bengali, followed by a preface and introductory essays outlining the purpose of the work. It then proceeds to document the mythological, religious, astrological, therapeutic, and ornamental significance of individual gems, including diamonds, pearls, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topaz, coral, and lapis lazuli. Tagore draws heavily on Vedic, Pura?ic, and Tantric texts—especially the Ratnaparik?a, Br?hatsa?hita, and Garuda Pura?a—but juxtaposes them with empirical details derived from Western geological studies.

Volume II expands this treatment by covering lesser-known gems and semi-precious stones, regional variations in gemstone usage, Sanskrit nomenclature, and ritual classifications. Its hundreds of pages of commentary also delve into gem-related superstitions, trade practices, historical legends, and healing beliefs from different parts of India. Each gemstone is treated as both a sacred material and a geological specimen, offering a unique convergence of Indic metaphysics and natural philosophy.

The text is interspersed with detailed notes, Sanskrit verses (many translated or transliterated), and appendices on gem-cutting, valuation, and planetary associations—highlighting Tagore’s interest in creating a systematic, encyclopedic manual that would serve Indian scholars and British administrators alike.

Both volumes include lithographic and wood-engraved plates, including idealised representations of gems, jewellery forms, and diagrams of ornamental usage. The portrait frontispiece of the author, rendered with care and grandeur, underscores the self-fashioning of Tagore not only as a scholar but also as a cultural custodian of India’s intellectual and aesthetic traditions. These illustrations were printed at the Stanhope Press, one of Calcutta’s leading lithographic houses, and reflect a high level of technical and artistic execution.

As with Tagore’s earlier works on Hindu music, ritual, and aesthetics, Mani-Málá is not merely a reference manual; it is an act of scholarly reclamation. It asserts the primacy of Sanskrit literature in pre-modern scientific traditions and seeks to integrate Indian wisdom into the global discourses of science and classification that were being shaped by Orientalist and colonial frameworks. It is also one of the earliest attempts by an Indian author to systematically codify gemology from a South Asian perspective, presenting it in a bilingual and cross-disciplinary format suited for libraries, scholars, and collectors of both Eastern and Western traditions.

The work also reveals a uniquely cosmopolitan vision. Tagore wrote for a British-educated Indian elite, for colonial officials interested in Hindu customs, and for European orientalists seeking to understand India through its texts and materials. In doing so, Mani-Málá becomes a bridge between traditions—an early Indian contribution to what would later be recognised as comparative material culture studies.

Today, complete copies of the first edition in two volumes are rare. Given its original limited print run—privately issued and published by Tagore himself—the survival of both volumes in excellent condition, with all illustrations intact, constitutes an important bibliographical and cultural artifact. It offers a window into the intellectual ambition, scholarly autonomy, and cultural diplomacy exercised by Indian elites at the twilight of the 19th century.

NON-EXPORTABLE