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Mythic Society, Bangalore: library timings and the Daly Memorial Hall
The Mythic Society is a research society founded in Bangalore in 1909, housed in the Daly Memorial Hall at 14/3 Nrupathunga Road. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5.15 pm and on Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm; Monday is a holiday. Its library holds about 46,000 books on Indian history, archaeology and culture.
An architectural landmark and simultaneously a library with a remarkable collection of literature on spirituality, sociology, law, and much more in English and Kannada. The building itself is impressive, and inside you'll find that rare atmosphere where scientific knowledge neighbors mythology and history.
Mythic Society timings
Hours published by the Society:
- Tuesday to Saturday: 10 am to 5.15 pm.
- Sunday: 10 am to 4 pm.
- Monday: closed.
The Society is a working library and research body rather than a museum. Its site gives seating for about 30 readers in the reference section but does not say whether casual visitors pay or need membership, so ask at the desk when you arrive.
The library
The library is the Society's main asset. It started with books donated by Father Antoine Marie Tabard, one of the founders, and grew with transfers from the Mysore Secretariat Library and private collections of scholars and officials. Today it holds about 46,000 volumes: around 24,000 in English, 11,000 in Kannada and 1,600 in Sanskrit, plus back runs of journals.
The strong areas are archaeology (all ASI publications), inscriptions and epigraphy, gazetteers, census volumes and history, with separate sections on Bengaluru and Mysore and rare maps of Bengaluru. The catalogue is computerised and can be searched on the Society's website before you go.
Who founded the Mythic Society, and the Daly Memorial Hall
The Society grew out of a meeting on 5 May 1909 at the home of F. J. Richards, Collector of the Bangalore Cantonment District, who imagined it as an academic club of European and Indian residents interested in the history and civilisation of India. Seventeen people signed up; within a year there were 174 members. For more than a century it has published the Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society.
The Daly Memorial Hall was built for it in 1916–17: the Maharaja of Mysore, Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, laid the foundation stone on 30 August 1916, and it opened on 25 July 1917. It is named after Sir Hugh Daly, British Resident in Mysore and the Society's first honorary president. The front is Greco-Roman, with fluted columns and acanthus-leaf capitals; the roof is finished with Mangalore tiles.
Before you go
Lectures and seminars are announced on the Society's website, and recordings of past talks are posted there too. If you are after a particular book or journal, search the online catalogue first and note the details, so the staff can find it for you.
❓ FAQ
Who is the founder of the Mythic Society?
It was set up at a meeting on 5 May 1909 at the home of F. J. Richards, Collector of the Bangalore Cantonment District, with 17 founding members.
Where is the Mythic Society located?
In the Daly Memorial Hall, 14/3 Nrupathunga Road, Bengaluru 560001.
What are the Mythic Society timings?
Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 5.15 pm, Sunday 10 am to 4 pm, closed on Monday.
How many books are in the Mythic Society library?
About 46,000, mostly in English, Kannada and Sanskrit.