Written by Anwesha Das (2024)

INtroduction

The Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology (LDII) is a leading research facility in Ahmedabad built in 1956. As the brain-child of Muni Punyavijayji and Seth Kasturbhai Lalbhai, the institute has been a forerunner in the collection of ancient and medieval manuscripts. In fact, Muni Punyavijayji gave his entire collection of nearly 10,000 manuscripts to LDII that he had collected through his several travels across Gujarat and Rajasthan. This forms the core of the institute's collection. Perhaps due to the patrons' own preferences, the institute has a large number of manuscripts and rare books with a focus on Jain studies.

The institute is open everyday from 10:30am to 5:30pm, except Mondays and public holidays.

Location: Google Maps

GOING THERE

The LDII is located in the Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad. There is a BRTS bus stop close to the institute. You can also take a cab and asked to be dropped off near the main gate of the LDII's campus. The building is just a short walk away from the main gate. Since the LD Museum is on the same campus, one can easily get confused between these two buildings. It is best to ask the security guards who are always available for a quick chat!

GETTING IN

As a research institute, the LDII is open to people only with prior permission. To get a permission, reach out to the institute via email (admin.ldii@ldindology.org and gmshah.org@gmail.com) with a support-letter from your advisor or institution.

There is a baggage counter near the entrance. The library and manuscript section are in the ground level of the institute.

Finding your material

The LDII manuscript catalog can be accessed online. You may even view some manuscripts online by registering on the website. Next, send an email with your username to LDII (admin.ldii@ldindology.org or gmshah.org@gmail.com). The director(s) of the institute goes through the request and makes a decision.

The LDII also has a good library; you can read books and journals in the Main Reading Room of the institute. Note that you can’t take any material out of the institute.

Ordering your material

You can access the materials through the online catalog or send an email to LDII with any specific query.

Ordering scans

You are allowed to take photographs of relevant pages of books and journals in the Main Reading Room.

To order digital images of select pages of manuscripts, you should write to the institute (admin.ldii@ldindology.org or gmshah.org@gmail.com) and attach a support-letter from the advisor or institution. Currently, the cost per image is 500 INR (around $6).

Food and well-being

There are few restaurants and cafes nearby. They mostly serve vegetarian food. Depending on the weather (as it gets really hot in the summer months), you can walk to these places. There are drinking water facilities and washrooms on the first floor of the LDII.

Additional remarks

As you walk inside the campus of the LDII, you will be struck by the very distinctive architectural style of the building. It was designed by the architect BV Doshi and was one of his first public project. Doshi went on to win the prestigious Pritzker prize for architecture in 2018. His architectural imprint is laid around the city of Ahmedabad such as the neighboring Amdavad ni Gufa (housing the art works of MF Husain) and CEPT University.