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Painted ceiling at the Saraswathi Mahal Library, Thanjavur. Photo: Wiki-uk, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013-Sarasvati-Mahal-Library-102.JPGDownload 1920px
Saraswathi Mahal Library
Thanjavur, India, Nayak royal library from 1535; Serfoji II expanded it 1798–1832; public 1918
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The record
Worth knowing
Saraswathi Mahal Library, worth knowing: After the last Maratha queen died, the palace property and library were tied up in the civil courts. Royal family members removed the library from the suit and endowed it to the public with one lakh rupees.
Saraswathi Mahal Library, worth knowing: Ink for the manuscripts was made from sesame-oil lamp soot, acacia gum and rainwater. Paper was dipped in turmeric water to keep insects off.
Saraswathi Mahal Library, worth knowing: On his pilgrimage to Banares, Serfoji II employed many pandits to collect, buy and copy a vast number of works. The library carries his name.
Saraswathi Mahal Library, worth knowing: The Sarasvati Mahal holds a grammar of the rare dialect Bhandira-bhasha among works the library says are unique to it.
Location
Saraswathi Mahal Library, location: Palace first built by the Nayaks of the Thanjavur Nayak kingdom; became the official residence of the Thanjavur Marathas after the Nayak fall
Volumes
Saraswathi Mahal Library, volumes: More than 49,000 books and manuscripts (Wikipedia infobox)
Collection
Saraswathi Mahal Library, collection: Sanskrit manuscripts exceed 39,300, in Grantha, Devanagari, Nandinagari and Telugu scripts among others
Saraswathi Mahal Library, collection: Tamil manuscripts: 3,780 (the library's archived site)
Saraswathi Mahal Library, collection: Tamil manuscripts: over 4,500 (Wikipedia)
Saraswathi Mahal Library, collection: 1,342 bundles of Maratha Raj records, apart from the manuscripts
Saraswathi Mahal Library, collection: Among the oldest manuscripts: Bhamati of Vachaspatimisra, an Advaita work copied in Banaras in 1468 AD
Status today
Saraswathi Mahal Library, status today: Conceived as the Royal Palace Library by the Nayak kings of Thanjavur (1535-1675); kept up by the Maratha rulers (1676-1855)
Saraswathi Mahal Library, status today: Government of Madras took possession of the library under the Charitable Endowment Act (1918)
Saraswathi Mahal Library, status today: Declared an Institution of National Importance in 1983
What happened here
1535Saraswathi Mahal Library, founded, 1535: Royal Palace Library conceived under the Nayak kings (1535-1675)
1918Saraswathi Mahal Library, opened, 1918: Made a public library (G.O. Ms. No.1306, 5 Oct 1918)
1986Saraswathi Mahal Library, founded, 1986: Registered society to administer the library constituted 9 July 1986
Photographs
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Painted ceiling panel, Saraswathi Mahal Library. Photo: Wiki-uk, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013-Sarasvati-Mahal-Library-103.JPGDownload 1920px
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Painted entrance ceiling, Saraswathi Mahal Library. Photo: Gabriele Giuseppini, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Near_Saraswati_Mahal_Library_-_panoramio.jpgDownload 1920px
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Entrance of the Saraswathi Mahal Library, Thanjavur. Photo: Wiki-uk, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2013-Sarasvati-Mahal-Library-101.JPGDownload 1920px
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Saraswathi Mahal Library entrance, Thanjavur Maratha Palace. Photo: Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarasvati_Mahal_Library,_Thanjavur_(37498369101).jpgDownload 1920px
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Saraswathi Mahal Library, Thanjavur. Photo: Vinayaraj, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarasvati_Mahal_Library_Thanjavur_ttkcvrvb122k23iph_(10).jpgDownload 1920px
Sources
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110226233412fw_/http://www.sarasvatimahallibrary.tn.nic.in/library/Library_History/body_library_history.html
- https://web.archive.org/web/20110226233412fw_/http://www.sarasvatimahallibrary.tn.nic.in/library/Departments/Manuscripts/body_manuscripts.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saraswathi_Mahal_Library
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanjavur_Maratha_Palace
- https://web.archive.org/web/2011/http://www.sarasvatimahallibrary.tn.nic.in/library/Departments/Manuscripts/body_manuscripts.html