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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
II
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
TO THE LIBRARY.
THE
HE Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji's Sarasvati Mahal Library, which is described by Dr. Burnell "to be perhaps the largest and most important in the world" and which Dr. Bühler says " contains a great many useful and a number of very rare or nearly unique books many of which are quite unknown or procurable only with great trouble and expense" was till recently the private property of the Rajas of Tanjore.
The earliest beginnings of the Library must have been about the end of the 16th century when Tanjore was under the rule of Telugu Nayakas who collected Sanskrit Manuscripts written in Telugu character. In the 17th century the Mahrathas 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. Šivāji 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 "Jambunaths Bhat Landagai Collection was added to the Library in 1921.
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Regarding the origin and importance of this collection, Dr. Hultsch has the following interesting information in "No. III. Reports on Sanskrit Manuscripts in Southern India", edited by him in 1905 at Madras
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