THE THANJAVUR MAHARAJA SERFOJI’S SARASWATHI MAHAL LIBRARY
THE THANJAVUR MAHARAJA SERFOJI’S SARASWATHI MAHAL LIBRARY Saraswathi Mahal Library is located in Thanjavur, Tamilnadu, India. It is one of the oldest libraries in Asia and has on display a rare collection of palm leaf manuscripts and papers written in Tamil, Hindi, English, Telugu, Marathi and a few other languages indigenous to India. The collection comprises well over 60,000 volumes, though only a tiny fraction of these are on display. The library has a complete catalogue of holdings, which is being made available online. Some rare holdings can be viewed on site by prior arrangement. The Saraswathi Mahal library started as a Royal Library for the private pleasure of the Nayak Kings of Thanjavur who ruled 1535 - 1675 AD. The Maratha rulers who captured Thanjavur in 1675 patronised local culture and further developed the Royal Palace Library until 1855. Most notable among the Maratha Kings was Serfoji II (1798–1832), who was an eminent scholar in many branches of