Written by Jamie O’Connell (2024)

INtroduction

The First Dastoor Meherjirana Library in Navsari is home to one of the world’s largest collections of books and manuscripts related to the Zoroastrian religion. The library was established in 1872 as the second Parsi library open to the public in India. It is named after a famous 16th-century Zoroastrian high priest, Dastur Meherjirana, said to have visited the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and later chosen as the leader of one of the five Zoroastrian priestly sects in India. This position remains with the Meherjirana family to the present day.

The core of the original library was formed by the Meherjirana family’s own extensive manuscript collection. This was later supplemented by smaller collections donated by various Parsi families and scholars. As the library's holdings grew, the original building was deemed too small, and in 1906 the library moved to the current building. The library complex includes a reading room, conference hall, apartments for visiting scholars, and a laboratory for the preservation of the library's collections. 

The manuscript collection consists of over 600 manuscripts in all major Zoroastrian languages, including Avestan, Pahlavi, Pazand, Sanskrit, Persian, and Gujarati. The library also houses approximately 50,000 printed works in numerous languages.

The library is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm.

For more information, visit the library’s website.

Location: Google Maps

GOING THERE

The library is located in Navsari (Gujarat), near the Navsari Atash Behram Fire Temple.

The train ride from Mumbai to Navsari is approximately four hours, or around 3.30 to 4.30 hours from Ahmedabad. You can take a taxi or an auto rickshaw from the Navsari Station to the neighborhood of Tarota Bazaar where the library is located.

GETTING IN

Access to the manuscript collection is limited. You should call or email the library to explain your research interests and scholarly qualifications in order to be considered for access. Foreign visitors must also obtain a research visa and letter of affiliation with an Indian university.

Note that the library requires a nominal daily fee.

Finding your material

Find your material in the published catalogs; you can download pdfs on the library’s own website.

There are two catalogs for manuscripts: one covers manuscripts that entered the collection before 1923 (B.N. Dhabhar, Descriptive Catalogue of All Manuscripts in the First Dastur Meherji Rana Library, Navsari. Bombay, 1923), and the other the later additions (F. Kotwal, D. Sheffield, & B. Gandhi, “Preliminary Descriptive List of the Manuscripts Donated to the First Dastur Meherjirana Library since 1923,” 2008).

Ordering your material

To request your material, especially manuscripts, approach a librarian who will then fetch it for you.

Ordering scans

Photographing manuscripts is prohibited. It may be possible to photograph printed material held at the library, but you should first consult with the librarian.

Food and well-being

There are several small restaurants in the neighborhood surrounding the library. If you’re staying at the library’s guest apartments, the library staff can arrange to have food delivered.

Additional remarks

Several sites of interest are located near the library, including two major fire temples, but entrance is restricted to Parsis.

Navsari has a few hotels and guesthouses. The library complex also has guest apartments for visiting scholars.