Saraswathi Mahal Library

Libraries are unrivalled cultural repositories and treasure houses of knowledge. They are the bridge between people and the outside world. If you go to Thanjavur, you can visit one of the oldest libraries in Asia called Saraswathi Mahal Library also known as Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswathi Mahal Library.

It is one of the few remaining mediaeval libraries in the world constructed by Nayak and Thanjavur Maratha rulers. More than 49,000 manuscripts, both on paper and on palm leaves, are kept in this library. The manuscripts are of diverse languages like Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Manipravalam. There is a section of the museum with numerous old and rare collections, such as old medical manuals, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and other Sanskrit writings.

A large hall of Saraswathi Mahal, in addition to the library section, serves as the museum. You can find the statue of the Goddess Saraswathi, a large picture of Rama Pattabhishekam, a few smaller but equally stunning paintings of Ganesha and Lakshmi, miniatures of several Tanjore Maratha Kings, and two enormous portraits of Sarfoji II in the hall. The library is accessible to the general public and supports initiatives to publish priceless manuscripts from the holdings in addition to seeing to it that every volume is preserved on microfilm. The library catalogues are being saved on the computer as a first step towards retrieving information quickly. Additionally, the authorities are planning to digitise this library's manuscripts. The library time is from 10.00 a.m. to 01.00 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. Trichy is the nearest airport.