WASHINGTON, May 17: The exquisite paintings of mughal emperor Shah Jahan, Padshahnama, were displayed at a gallery here amid protests that the mughal era paintings be returned to India from British custody.

Smithsonian's Sacker gallery held a fundraiser $ 250-a-head on Friday to celebrate the display of the renowned manuscript illustrated with pictures by famous artistes of the 17th century.

The current head of the former ruling house of Jodhpur, Gaj Singh and his wife Hemlata Raje, inaugurated the display attended by Indian, Pakistani, British and Austrian ambassadors.

On show were King of the world the manuscript of Padshahnama from Britain's royal library at Windsor Castle and The jewel and the rose : art for Shah Jahan, comprising a rare carved emerald, 23 paintings, a marbled screen and three textile fragments.

Earlier a group of protestors, mostly US Indians, staged a demonstration objecting to a Hindu princess being sent in that era when women had no rights, to a Mughal harem, an event they described as shameful.

The demonstrators demanded the return of manuscript to India.

Arun Deva, an Indian businessman living in Washington, shared the view of the demonstrators and said "It really belongs to India and should be returned. The British took a lot of things (from India)." However, a representative of the British queen's library, Oliver Everett, said ``No'' at a press conference whether what was viewed as property plundered during British Raj would be returned. Everett said the paintings were not taken by force but were gifted by the Nawab of Oudh to the then reigning king of England after governor general Teignmouth, to whom the Nawab had first offered it, refused to take it because he considered it too valuable for anyone but a royal personage.

Smithsonian institution's sackler gallery organised the twin exhibition of Mughal era art as part of its celebrations of the 50th anniversary of India's independence.