Adyar Library
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The Adyar Library and Research Centre was founded in 1886 by Theosophist
Henry Steel Olcott Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (2 August 1832 – 17 February 1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, Freemason (member of Huguenot Lodge #448, now #46) and the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Olcott ...
. The library is at the
Theosophical Society Adyar The Theosophical Society was founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and others in 1875. The designation 'Adyar' is sometimes added to the name to make it clear that this is the Theosophical Society headquartered there, after the American se ...
in Adyar, near
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, India.


History

Henry Steel Olcott Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (2 August 1832 – 17 February 1907) was an American military officer, journalist, lawyer, Freemason (member of Huguenot Lodge #448, now #46) and the co-founder and first president of the Theosophical Society. Olcott ...
founded the "Library Olcott" in December 1886. Olcott's small private collection of approximately 200 books in 24 languages were the core of the library. During his travels in Asia, Olcott acquired more, often rare, books for the library. After Olcott's death in 1907, the library was continued by other
Theosophists Theosophy is a religious movement established in the United States in the late 19th century. Founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and based largely on her writings, it draws heavily from both older European philosophies such as Neo ...
. Today, the library has approximately 250,000 books and 20,000 palm leaves. The library is today among the most important Orientalist libraries in the world. The library was at first situated inside the headquarters of the Theosophical Society. In 1966, it was moved to a separate building, ''the Adyar Library Building''. It also has a public museum that shows old books and manuscripts. The Adyar Library is also used by post-graduate students in
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
and
Indology Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a subset of Asian studies. The term ''Indology'' (in German, ''Indologie'') is ...
of the
University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
. In 1990, a bequest by the
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
Elliston Campbell Elliston can refer to: Places *Elliston, Indiana, U.S. *Elliston, Montana, U.S. *Elliston, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada ** Elliston Ridge Air Station, radar station in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada *Elliston, South Australia **District Cou ...
(1891 – 1990) further funded the Adyar Library and founded the Campbell Theosophical Research Library, in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.Campbell Theosophical Research Library
Retrieved 25 July 2013.
The
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
is trying to preserve the old works in the Adyar Library with modern techniques.Projects on South Asia
/ref>


Conservation Efforts

The Adyar Library And Research Center started scanning its manuscripts in 2015. It has a dedicated team for scanning and preservation of manuscripts. In 2025, the library also launched its website and online public catalogue to help researchers and students.


References


External links


Adyar Library Theosophical Society

Official Website of Adyar LibraryImage of the library
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* {{Authority control Theosophy Libraries in Chennai Library buildings completed in 1966 20th-century architecture in India Libraries established in 1886