Most royal libraries are inherited. The one in the Thanjavur palace was, to a remarkable degree, hunted down — manuscript by manuscript — by a single king with an unusual education. His name was Serfoji II, and the collection he built, the Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s Saraswathi Mahal Library, is now counted among the oldest surviving libraries in Asia.
- Founded by the Thanjavur Nayak kings (16th–17th centuries) as a palace library.
- Greatly expanded by the Maratha king Serfoji II (reigned 1798–1832).
- Holds more than 49,000 volumes, including palm-leaf and paper manuscripts.
- Opened to the public in 1918; the museum section is open to visitors today.
The king who was taught by a missionary
Serfoji II grew up under the guardianship of Rev. Christian Friedrich Schwartz, the German Protestant missionary at Thanjavur. Under Schwartz and his circle the young prince learned English, French, Italian and Latin alongside his Indian languages — an education almost unheard of for an Indian ruler of his day. That grounding shaped the king he became: curious about European science and medicine as well as Sanskrit learning, and determined to gather it all under one roof. When Schwartz died, Serfoji commissioned a marble memorial for him — sculpted by the English artist John Flaxman — which still stands in Schwartz Church in the palace grounds.
A collection across languages
The Nayak kings had begun a palace library, the Saraswathi Bhandar, but it was Serfoji who transformed it. He employed pandits to seek out, copy and buy manuscripts, and sent agents far afield to acquire texts. The result is staggering in range: the library holds more than 49,000 volumes, the bulk of them in Tamil and Sanskrit, together with thousands of Marathi manuscripts and smaller collections in Telugu, Persian and Urdu. There is a dedicated medical section — the Dhanvantari collection — as well as ancient maps, European prints, and bundles of Maratha administrative records written in the cursive Modi script.
What you can see today
The library opened to the public in 1918 and remains a working research institution inside the Maratha palace complex. The archive itself is restricted to scholars, but a museum section is open to visitors, displaying rare manuscripts, illustrated books, maps and prints — a window into the mind of a king who measured his wealth in knowledge. It pairs naturally with the palace, the art gallery and Schwartz Church, all within the same walls.
Frequently asked questions
Who built the Saraswathi Mahal Library?
It began as a palace library under the Thanjavur Nayak kings in the 16th–17th centuries and was greatly expanded by the Maratha king Serfoji II, who reigned from 1798 to 1832.
How many manuscripts does it hold?
More than 49,000 volumes in total, the majority in Tamil and Sanskrit, with substantial Marathi, Telugu, Persian and Urdu material.
What is Serfoji II’s connection to Schwartz?
Serfoji II was educated under the guardianship of the German missionary Rev. Christian Friedrich Schwartz, and later commissioned a Flaxman marble memorial to him in Schwartz Church, Thanjavur.
Can visitors go inside the library?
The research archive is restricted, but a museum section inside the Thanjavur Maratha palace is open to visitors and displays manuscripts, maps and prints. It is commonly closed on Wednesdays and public holidays.