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Sanskrit and other Indian Language Manuscripts

Identity area

Reference code

GB 891 RAS COLL6-RAS COLL6/3-RAS COLL6/3/3

Publication status

Published

Level of description

Subseries

Extent and medium

2 bound volumes, 5 documents and 3 electronic documents

Date(s)

1823 - ongoing (Creation)

Context area

Name of creator

Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland

(1823-)

Biographical history

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'. It continues as a forum for those who are interested in the languages, cultures and history of Asia to meet and exchange ideas.

Repository

Royal Asiatic Society Archives

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Catalogues and handlists for manuscripts in Sanskrit and other Indian languages. These are: * A list of the Sanskrit manuscripts donated by James Tod provided in a letter by Professor Christian Lassen, 1 January 1827. * ‘A Catalogue of South Indian Manuscripts (especially those of the Whish Collection) belonging to the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland’ compiled by Dr M. Winternitz, Professor of the German University of Prague, with an appendix by F.W. Thomas, dated 1902. Also bound with this is ‘Catalogue of Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts in the possession of the Royal Asiatic Society (Hodgson Collection’ by Professors E.B. Cowell and J. Eggeling and ‘Catalogue of the Tod Collection of Indian Manuscripts in the Possession of the Royal Asiatic Society’ by L.D Barnett, dated 1940. Printed catalogues with handwritten annotations and notes inserted, 347 pages, Bound volume. This is kept in the Reading Room Office. * ‘Catalogue of the Tod Collection of Indian Manuscripts in the possession of the Royal Asiatic Society’ by L.D. Barnett. Typed manuscript with handwritten annotations, 102 pages. Bound volume, dated 1938. This is kept in the Reading Room Office. * 'List of the Buddhist Sanskrit Manuscripts presented to the R.A.S. by Brian Hodgson'. - handwritten list, 1 piece. * 'Whish MSS (not in printed catalogue)' - handwritten list of some of the South Indian manuscripts donated by Charles Whish, 2 pieces. * 'Royal Asiatic Society - Tamil MSS' - typed list of the Tamil manuscripts, 2 pieces with a further giving details of Tamil manuscript 13A. * 'Previously Unidentified Manuscripts - Rajasthani' - list of Rajasthani manuscripts within the collection created by Rima Hooja, Visiting Fellow, Royal Asiatic Society, in 2002. Computer printed, 20 pieces. Electronic documents - archival versions were created in 2024. * 'South Indian Sanskrit / Whish Manuscripts' - a document detailing the extent and background of these manuscripts in the collections, created by Kathy Lazenblatt, Librarian, Royal Asiatic Society, in 2017. * 'Tod Manuscript Collection' - a detailed list of the manuscripts in the Society's Collections donated by James Tod, the Society's first Librarian. This was compiled by Rima Hooja in 2002. * 'Handlist of Tamil Manuscripts in the Royal Asiatic Society' - based on a typescript list of c.1956, with amendments and additions. Re-typed March 2009. List of the Society's Tamil manuscripts.