কুমিল্লা, Italy
The Rāmamālā Library (or Ramamala Library; Rammala Library; Ramamala Granthagar) in Comilla, Bangladesh, is one of the oldest still active traditional libraries in Bangladesh. It was founded in 1912 by the scholar and philanthropist Mahesh Chandra Bhattacharya (1858–1944), growing out of the earlier
private library of the traditional Sanskrit school called the Īśvara Pāṭhaśālā Ṭol (or Iswar Pathsala Tol). After its founding, Rashmohan Chakravarty and Mahesh Chandra Bhattacharya himself worked to expand its holdings. According to a recent article, "many of the manuscripts were donated by local families who gave up their household libraries on the eve of the British colonial period for the sake of preserving them." The Rāmamālā Library collection includes approximately 9,000 palm-leaf and paper manuscripts, mostly from the early modern period (roughly 1700-1900 AD). The collection was established in order to promote education and preserve Bengali culture. It includes many manuscripts of scientific, legal, and other literature in Sanskrit, together with many regional works in Bengali (e.g., a rare recension of the Mahābhārata) and some works in Prakrit. The library encompasses not just...
Listen to the audio guide for Ramamālā Library Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off