Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology
The Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology in Ahmedabad is a unique institute dedicated to the preservation, restoration and collection of ancient Indian manuscripts and artifacts. It provides scholars a wonderful opportunity for research and study. One of the regional centre for National Mission for manuscripts programme of Ministry of Culture, GoI, the institute also serves as Manuscripts Resource Centre and Manuscript Preservation and Restoration Centre. The Institute is recognized by the Gujarat University as a research centre for promoting doctoral and post-doctoral studies carried out by scholars in Sanskrit, Prakrit and Ancient Indian Culture.
Two visionaries, Agamprabhakar Muni Shri Punyavijayji Maharaj, a revered jain saint & highly intellectual researcher and scholar devoted to conservation of prestigious knowledge that was stored in numerous manuscripts, he came across during his frequent travel to Rajasthan and India; and leading jain philanthropic industrialist Sheth Kasturbhai Lalbhai.
Munishri made it his life's mission to ensure that the priceless heritage of manuscripts was properly preserved, studied and made available to the scholars. With this objective in view, he scientifically reorganized several Bhandaras and catalogued their collections. Moreover, he acquired numerous manuscripts from various sources where proper facilities for their preservation did not exist.
As such collections grew; Munishri expressed his wish to Sheth Kasturbhai on the urgent need for setting up an Institution for the preservation of manuscripts and their use for research. Sheth Kasturbhai gave a handsome donation and Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology of established in 1957. Muni Shri Punyavijayji most graciously gave his complete collection of over 10,000 rare Manuscripts and over 7,000 rare books. This formed the nucleus of the L. D. Institute of Indology's core collection.
The Main objectives of the L. D. Institute of Indology
- To collect and preserve ancient manuscripts so that this invaluable treasure of the past is preserved for the benefit of posterity
- To provide facilities to the scholars for study and research in Indology and to make available this research to other scholars
- To undertake publications of critical editions of unpublished manuscripts
The Institution has to its credit 150 publications, some of them like Treasures of Jaina Bhandars, Ramayana in Pahari Miniature Paintings, and Aspects of Jain Art and Architecture are widely acclaimed. SAMBODHI is an annual journal of the institute publishing pure research papers and articles related to Indology, being published now for more than 40 years