The Sundhya, or the Daily Prayers of the Brahmins.

Sophia Charlotte Belnos. The Sundhya, or the Daily Prayers of the Brahmins. Illustrated in a series of original drawings from nature, demonstrating their attitudes and different signs and figures performed by them during the ceremonies of their morning devotions and likewise their poojas. Illustrated with hand-colored lithographic title page and 24 hand-colored lithographic plates. Imperial Folio. (60 cm by 44 cm) Contemporary (probably original) binding: ¼-mottled calf over drab boards, leather tips (renewed); flat spine, ruled and lettered in gilt. Day & Son, (London) 1851. First Edition. Privately printed and sold to subscribers only. Text in English, with some passages in Sanskrit. (Abbey Travel 477; Lipperheide 1499; Gietz, Malinar, et al, Epic and Puranic Bibliography, I, 538)

Illustrated with 24 stunning hand-colored lithographic plates showing Hindu Brahmins performing their daily prayers, and the ritual objects, yogic positions, and mudras. With short explanations and quotations of the corresponding ritual texts. Lithographic title-page with a fine hand-colored scene depicting a religious ceremony on a boat berthed on Triveni Sangam (confluence of two physical rivers Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythic Saraswati River) at Allahabad.

The word "Sundhya" (or, more correctly, sandhya or saṃdhyã) literally means transition moments of the day – namely, the two twilights (dawn and dusk) and the solar noon. It also refers to Sandhyavandanam (literally: salutation to twilight or solar noon), a mandatory religious daily ritual to be performed by all "twice-born" people of Hinduism, especially Brahmins. Poojas (or pujas) are prayer rituals performed by Hindus to host, honor and worship certain deities, or to spiritually celebrate an important event.

Mrs. Sophia Charlotte Belnos (b.1795), was a professional artist who set up a studio in Calcutta in 1847 and won remarkable success as a lithographer. She was attracted to the unique religious customs and practices of the local residents of Bengal, and traveled to various Hindu pilgrimage destinations such as Varanasi, Goverdhan, Vrindavan and Mathura to research the topic and record in detail the daily recital of prayers which comprise Sandhya.


Complete, with very wide margins (almost certainly untrimmed). Boards rubbed with some edge-wear; leather corners renewed; top of joints slightly worn, with a minor discreet repair to top of spine. New endpapers, hinges reinforced with archival tape, original fly-leaves preserved. Title leaf with minor marginal crease at bottom outer corner, and some marginal hand-soiling and minor spotting. Interior with occasional light marginal soiling and very minor spotting. A few leaves with a harmless short separation at bottom of gutter, but all firmly and securely attached. As typical with books of such vast format, all leaves bound on guards. In all, a very pleasing, uncommonly clean, large, and solid example of this stunningly beautiful and very rare book.