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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
TO THE LIBRARY.
THE Tanjore Mahārāja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mabāt Library,
which is described by Dr. Burnell “to be perhaps the largest and inost imortant in the world” and which Dr. Bühler says "contains a great many useful and a number of very rare or nearly unique books in any of which are quite unknown or procurable only with great trouble and expense" was till recently the private property of the Rājas of Tanjore.
The earliest begimings of the Library must have been about the end of the 16th-century when Tanjore was under the rule of Telugu Nāyakan who collected Banskrit Manuscripts written in Telugu character. In the 16th century the Mahrāthas conquered the country and since that date the Library has been increasing. By far the greater portion of the collection was made by Serfoji during a visit to Benares during 1820-1830. Sivāji his successor added a few. There has practically been no addition of any value till very recent times. A good number of Sanskrit Manuscripts including rare and valuable manuscripts representing the collection of generations of a family of scholars, known as the "Jambunātha Bhat Lindagai Collection " was added to the Library in 1921.
. Regarding, the origin and importance of this collection, Dr. Haltaob bas the following interesting information in "No. III. Reports on Sanskrit - Manuscripts in Southeru India", edited by him in 1905 at Madran :
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