This manuscript is a copy in Hebrew characters of the Urdu-language theatrical work, the Indar Sabha, which was written by Sayyid Hasan Amanat Laknavi (known by his takhallus ‘Amanat), a poet attached to the court of Vajid Ali Shah of Awadh, several of whose personal manuscripts, and autograph divans can also be found in the BL’s collection (see Tāʾrīkh-i Mumtāz [BL] Or 5288, Dīvān-i Parīshān [BL] Or 8648). Published in 1853 in Lucknow, the Indar Sabha was first staged in Bombay by a Parsi theatre company in 1864 and has been considered by scholars to be in part an attempt at re-creating the splendour of Vajid Ali Shah’s court. In fact, the play opens with a sensuous depiction of the court of Indar, supposedly evocative of the Awadhi court, populated by fairies bearing the names of jewels (Emerald, Topaz, Sapphire and Ruby), whose colourful costumes match their names and provide a delightful spectacle to the audiences. As with many dastaans and masnavis, a story of forbidden love ensues when the Emerald Fairy (Sabz Pari) falls in love with a mortal prince, Gulfam, and conspires with the help of the Black Demon (Kala Dev), to sneak her beloved into Indar’s heavenly court. When this transgression is discovered, the Emerald fairy’s wings are clipped, and she is ejected from the paradise of Indar’s court and falls to earth, while her lover is imprisoned in a well. The story eventually ends happily when the Emerald fairy, ejected from heaven, wanders as a yogini or female ascetic, playing music that tells of her love and charms her way back into Indar’s court, wins his favour and secures her lover’s release.

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