Mumbai: It's a page straight out of history. An original 14th Century manuscript of Dante's Divine Comedy is on display in Mumbai's Asiatic Society.

The illustrated manuscript written on vellum, is now tucked away in a safe deposit vault. It was donated to the society by Mountstuart Elphinstone, a former governor of the city in the 1800s.

But others have had their eye on this piece of history. According to urban legend, in the 1930's, the Mussolini government offered £ 1 million for the manuscript — an offer which the society finally refused.

However, this legend has now been questioned.

Dante scholar and University of York Professor, Nicholas Havely says, "It is plausible in the sense that Mussolini, as a Fascist dictator, established the cult of Dante as a national poet. What we don't know as yet is if the government made an attempt to repatriate works of Dante."

Regardless of the rumoured Italian offer, the manuscript remains priceless and is a reminder of how Dante has always appealed to the popular imagination.

His vision of Hell often inspired dramatic images in popular culture — from Salvadore Dali's series to bestsellers like Hannibal and The Dante Club.

But if you want a date with history, you will just have to wait till it is brought out for public viewing.