This 19th-century scroll contains the Bhagavata Purana (also known as the Srimad Bhagavatam), one of the most important Hindu sacred texts, originally written around the 10th century. It is a sacred history of the avatars of the Hindu deity Vishnu. According to the text, Vishnu (the Preserver god) was compelled to descend on earth in the form of avatars (animal and human manifestations) in order to restore cosmic order. The narrative takes form as a dialogue between a king and a saint, the latter of whom has agreed to teach the king about the meaning of life and promotes bhakti (personal devotion) to Vishnu.

Traditionally, Hindu religious texts were written on palm leaves. The use of this paper scroll, more than four metres long but only four cm wide, possibly derives from the Islamic tradition of Quran scrolls. The Sanskrit text of this manuscript is written in miniature Devanagari script on thin, highly burnished, cream paper decorated with floral patterns in gold and with edges showing gold, orange, and black rulings. It also contains 68 miniature illustrations including depictions of Ganesha, the Trimurti deities (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), and the ten avatars of Vishnu. A piece of yellow silk is attached to the end of the paper scroll to act as a wrapper when rolled.