Asiatic Society of Mumbai, Museum and library in Fort district, Mumbai, India
The Asiatic Society of Mumbai is a museum and library in the Fort district, housed in a classical building with pillars and wrought iron terraces. The interior displays wooden floors, spiral staircases, and timber shelves that convey scholarly quiet.
The Society was founded in 1804 and emerged from merging multiple organizations, though it received its current name later. It developed into a key center for gathering and preserving knowledge about Asia.
The library holds manuscripts and prints consulted by scholars from around the world studying texts on Persia, India, and classical antiquity. The reading room captures the rhythm of an academic site where the quiet of study blends with conversation between researchers.
Visits typically require prior arrangement, as the site functions mainly as a research center. The reading and collection areas are best accessed in the morning when fewer visitors are expected.
A copy of Dante's Divine Comedy is sought by Dante scholars worldwide but belongs to this collection. The coin section contains rare strikes from various ancient Indian kingdoms, some found nowhere else.
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