Six-decade Pudukottai library with rare books haven for bibliophiles

CHENNAI: Nestled in the serene town of Thirukokarnam in Pudukot- tai stands Gnanalaya Research Library, one of the largest private collections of books in Asia. With over 1,25,000 books - many of them first editions - the library is a lifetime effort of husband and wife, B Krishnamurthy and Dorothy Krishnamurthy. Krishnamurthy started the library in 1959 and today, it houses books in Tamil and English across a wide range of subjects including literature, history, mythology, science and medicine. “We also have a collection of rare magazines. All these books have benefitted many academics, writers and others from various walks of life,” says Krishnamurthy.

The 82-year-old reminisces that the library was started from a simple desire to bridge the gap for those in Nagercoil and Madurai travelling to Chennai to visit libraries like Connemara. “I started the library with just 100 books and now, we have more than one lakh books. We have around 90,000 rare Tamil books, unpublished manuscripts, rare first editions and copies of Tamil literary magazines from 1920. We not only welcome people from all over the country but also have visitors from Russia and Japan who come to Gnanalaya for research purposes,” the retired teacher tells DT Next.

Krishnamurthy’s passion for books was deeply influenced by his father. “We collect books when we travel and many people have donated books. This library is the hard work of the last six decades and we are happy that this place helps a lot of people. Maintaining a library is not an easy task – but we are doing whatever we can.”

The library has become a significant resource, attracting researchers, academics, and enthusiasts alike. National award-winning filmmaker Amshan Kumar has made a documentary film titled Gnanalaya - the film narrates the story of the selfless service of the founders. Hosted by Tamil Heritage Trust, the film’s screening will be held on November 18 at Nahar Hall, Whites Road, Royapettah.