Catalogue Of Sanskrit And Prakrit Manuscripts Part 21

SR No.: 018085
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: O I Menaria, V M Sharma, Vinaysagar
Publisher: Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute
Publication Year: 1985
Total Pages: 1002
Language: English
Classification: Catalogue & Catalogue
File Size: 15 MB

Page 4

Preface
The various important works particularly on the Vedas, Darsh. ana, Puranas, Dharmashastra, Mantras etc. deposited presently in the Alwar branch came to be acquired first during the reign of Sawai Vinaya Singh (1814-1857) A. D. of Alwar. He gave all encouragement and help for the establishment of a manuscript library and inspired scholars to assemble together and indulge in religious discourses. This led to the establishment of a separate “Pustak Shala" in the year 1848 A.D. Like Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur he too made Alwar a place where learned Pandits could find a place for exhibiting their traditional knowledge of the scriptural texts.
One Pt. Ganga Dhar Joshi was the first to hold charge of this library and his descendants who were equally conversant with the "Shastras" held the office for long. Later, in the times of Maharaja Tej Singh, Major C.W.L. Harvey as Prime Minister organised a museum of different art objects and the Pustak Shala" was also merged into it.
Peter Peterson in his capacity as Professor of Sanskrit in the Elphinstone College, Bombay was the first to prepare a catalogue of this collection mostly in Sanskrit. Printed in the year 1892 it catalogues manuscripts numbering 2478, all in Sanskrit. Possibly, this was the total number then reached.
The State Government paid quick attention towards the preservation of this ancient heritage and opened a branch of the Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute, the way it has done at other places like Jaipur, Kota, Bikaner, Chittorgarh, Udaipur & Bharatpur.
Out of the total number of Alwar manuscripts numbering 6711 a fairly good number i.e. 1687 were obtained in donation. The lead was taken by Pt. Poorpa Malji when he parted with some 200 manuscripts in his possession. Later, Pt. Laxmi Kantji Vaidya donated the "Rama Kantji Collection" of 200 manuscripts and some 500 printed books and periodicals of immense reference value. Pt. Ram Datta ji who had once worked in the “Shala" donated some 1393 works that include manuscripts numbering. 335 Others include Sarvashri Pt. Pitamber Das (60 mss), Nandan Lalji Misra (42 mss), Ramesh Chandraji Bhargava (144 mss);