India GO
Oriental Research Institute, Mysore
The Oriental Research Institute (ORI) of the University of Mysore is a manuscript library in Jubilee Hall, a white building of 1887 on Krishnaraja Boulevard. It holds more than 70,000 works in Sanskrit and Kannada, and it is where R. Shamashastry identified the long-lost Arthashastra of Kautilya, published in 1909. It is a working research institute, not a museum: come in office hours, for the building and a small display.
A white building of 1887–1891, put up for Queen Victoria's jubilee and iced like a cake, holds one of India's great manuscript libraries: some 70,000 works, of which nearly 60,000 are written on palm leaf. In 1905 the librarian R. Shamashastry recognised among them the Arthashastra of Kautilya, long thought lost, and published it in 1909; what was known about ancient Indian statecraft changed with it. This is a working research institute, not a museum. Come during office hours, for the architecture and a small display, and set expectations accordingly. Few visitors ever do.
The library where the lost Arthashastra surfaced in 1905, among 60,000 palm-leaf texts
What the Oriental Research Institute is
The institute was founded under the patronage of Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar X of Mysore; Wikipedia dates its start to 1891. It began as the Government Oriental Library under the state's Education Department, became part of the University of Mysore when the university was founded in 1916, and took its present name in 1946. In 1966 its Kannada manuscripts and books moved to the Institute of Kannada Studies, and the ORI now concentrates on Sanskrit.
Its work is the original one: to collect, preserve, edit and publish rare manuscripts. A microfilm section was started in 1954 and more than four thousand palm-leaf manuscripts were filmed; today they are scanned digitally. Palm leaves were once treated with an Ayurvedic oil for protection; the institute now uses citronella oil.
The Arthashastra find
The Arthashastra is the classical Indian treatise on statecraft: polity, economics, law, administration, taxation, warfare, even the training of elephants and horses. It was known by name and reputation but thought lost. In 1905 the institute's librarian, R. Shamashastry, recognised a palm-leaf manuscript of it in Grantha script. He edited it and the ORI published it in 1909, the first edition anywhere in the world. What was known about ancient Indian government changed with it, and the institute gained an international name.
What you can see
Set expectations: this is a place of study, and few visitors come.
Jubilee Hall
Built in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, white and ornamented like a wedding cake. It stands at the northern end of Krishnaraja Boulevard, opposite the university's Crawford Hall.
The collection
More than 30,000 palm-leaf and paper manuscripts and over 70,000 works in all. The institute's scholars work with scripts including Nandinagari, Grantha, Devanagari, Kannada and Telugu.
Sritattvanidhi
A nine-volume encyclopaedic work by Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, ruler of Mysore, with traditional paintings; the institute is publishing it volume by volume.
Visiting: hours and access
Neither the university nor the India GO database publishes visiting hours, so the card above shows none. Come during university office hours on a working day. The manuscripts are kept for study and reference, so ask at the institute about access; a casual visit means the architecture and whatever display is open.
The institute is on the boulevard by the university, so it fits into a walk around Crawford Hall and the old university buildings.
❓ FAQ
What is the Oriental Research Institute in Mysore?
A University of Mysore institute that collects, preserves and publishes Sanskrit manuscripts, housed in Jubilee Hall on Krishnaraja Boulevard.
Who established the Oriental Library in Mysore?
It was founded under the patronage of the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamarajendra Wadiyar X, as the Government Oriental Library; Wikipedia dates it to 1891.
Was the Arthashastra found in Mysore?
Yes. Librarian R. Shamashastry identified a palm-leaf manuscript of it at the institute in 1905, and the ORI published it in 1909.
Can tourists visit the Oriental Research Institute?
You can see the building and any open display during office hours; no hours are published. Ask at the institute about seeing the manuscripts, which are kept for study.
Is there an entry fee?
No fee is published for the institute.