Artifact
Bala Janamsakhi manuscript of 1658
also Bhai Bala Janam Sakhi
A dated manuscript of the Bala tradition, reported as the oldest extant janam sakhi manuscript of any tradition.[EoS][(tr.)]
- Date
- 1658 (1715 Bk)
- Held by
- A private collection
- Location
- Delhi
- Provenance
- Documented
- Status: Private collection
- The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism (1992-98) says this dated manuscript is in a private collection in Delhi, without naming who holds it. It adds that 22 Bala manuscripts are listed in the Punjab and three are in London. McLeod (1979-80) names India Office Library MS Panj B41 as an important Bala manuscript.
The Bala tradition presents itself as an eyewitness account by Bhai Bala. The Encyclopaedia treats it as a seventeenth-century compilation with signs of Hindali interest.