| № | 1 |
| Name of library | Sarasvati Bhavan Library, Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi |
| Address | Sampurnananda Sanskrit University, Varanasi, UP 221 001, India |
| Contact | - |
| Open hours | 10:30-5:00 |
| Closed | National holidays, according to lunar calendar |
| How to get there | Enter the main gate. The library is to the right in the rear. It is convenient to use the back gate, walking along the street to the right of the main gate. Walk along the street of bookstores and enter the gate in front of the Vice Chancellor's residence. In the back to the left is Sarasvati Bhavan Library. To the right is the Library. The photographer is in his room in the Library, not in Sarasvati Bhavan Library. See the photographer first in the Library before visiting Sarasvati Bhavan Library. |
| Features of collection | Sanskrit manuscripts |
| Admissions | Letter of introduction or identification paper issued by the institution you belong to (in English) |
| Getting copying rights | ubmit the letter of introduction or ID paper issued by your institution (in English) and application (in English) to receive signatures from the Director of the Library and the President of the University via the photographer. Photocopying is permitted in principle. Copying of unpublished texts not permitted in principle. After all the permissions are given, pay the fee to the accounting section. |
| Collection catalog | Old and new catalogs are available: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts; A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts. |
| Notes for publications using collection | The library should be sent one complimentary copy of any publication that uses its manuscript(s). |
| Stories from visitors, observations | Sir Arthur Venis, along with the pandits he patronized, founded the library in 1791 as a kind of private school. It is the oldest of the Sanskrit universities throughout India. Also because it is located in Varanasi, a center of Sanskrit tradition, it has been an important center of Sanskrit studies in India. It is now a state university. Sarasvati Bhavan Library in the back of the compound, from the early days of its foundation, energetically collected manuscripts and established the most valuable collection in India both in quality and quantity. The collection also overwhelms the others in Mimamsa in terms of quality and quantity. Two catalogs are available: the old one comprises the manuscripts acquired in 1791-1950 and the new one covers those obtained in 1951-1981. Both contain a large number of extremely valuable manuscripts. The new catalog was published only in 1992 and has not yet been used by many researchers. For copy service, get hold of the photographer in the office building in the back. Give him your ID (student registration certificate in English) and an application for manuscript copying, both prepared beforehand. You will have to get signatures from the Director of the Library and the President of the University. You should avoid using the catalogs on the spot, because you will need another application to use the library, and will need signatures for that. After safely receiving permission, go to the accounting section of the University in another building to pay up front the fee for the copies. Then just wait patiently for the photographer to do his job. The titles in the catalogs are minutely segmentalized by volume and chapter, and the total number is not as large as it looks. |
| № | 2 |
| Name of library | Central Library, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi |
| Address | Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP 221005, India |
| Contact | http://www.bhu.ac.in |
| Open hours | 10:30-5:00 |
| Closed | Sundays and public holidays; no information about Saturdays |
| How to get there | Sanskrit manuscripts |
| Features of collection | Sanskrit manuscripts |
| Admissions | Letter of introduction or identification paper issued by the institution you belong to (in English) |
| Getting copying rights | Submit the letter of introduction or ID paper issued by your institution (in English) and application (in English) to receive signatures from the Director of the Library and the President of the University via the photographer. Photocopying is permitted in principle. Copying of unpublished texts not permitted in principle. After all the permissions are given, pay the fee to the accounting section. |
| Collection catalog | Old and new catalogs are available: A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts; A Descriptive Catalogue of the Sanskrit Manuscripts. |
| Notes for publications using collection | The library should be sent one complimentary copy of any publication that uses its manuscript(s). |
| Stories from visitors, observations | The C number in the catalogs indicates the collection of the Central Library, and the B number that of Bharat Kala Bhavana Library. The two libraries are fairly far from each other in the vast BHU compound. Use a cycle rikisha or auto (automatic three-wheelers) for moving between the two libraries. Tell the rikisha driver to go to the Central Library near the university temple. Otherwise, the driver won't understand. Being the central library of the university with a large number of students, the staff is quite busy doing their jobs and they won't make many copies for you. When the author was there, only two out of the five copying machines were working. Frequent electric power failures further delay the work. After acquiring a library pass, submit your ID and application for copying to the librarian or a photographer for their signature and just wait for the copies to be ready. Bharat Kala Bhavana Library rarely provides the service of copying all the folios of a manuscript. |
| № | 3 |
| Name of library | Bharat Kala Bhavan, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi |
| Address | Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP 221005, India |
| Contact | http://www.bhu.ac.in |
| Open hours | 10:30-5:00 |
| Closed | Sundays and public holidays; no information about Saturdays |
| How to get there | At BHU. Ask for Bharat Kala Bhavan or just Museum. |
| Features of collection | Sanskrit manuscripts |
| Admissions | Letter of introduction or identification paper issued by the institution you belong to (in English) |
| Getting copying rights | Submit to the photographer the letter of introduction or identification paper issued by the institution you belong to (in English), along with application (in English), to get a signature of the Director of the Library. Photocopying is permitted in principle. Copying of unpublished texts not permitted in principle. |
| Collection catalog | Descriptive Catalogue of Samskrit Manuscripts in Gaekwada Library, Bharat Kala Bhavana Library, and Samskrit Maha-Vidyalaya Library, Banaras Hindu University. Rama Sankar Tripathi. 1971. |
| Notes for publications using collection | The library should be sent one complimentary copy of any publication that uses its manuscript(s). |
| Stories from visitors, observations | The library is on the second floor of the museum, which is popular with tourists. ． |