Chennai’s largest public collection of palm-leaf manuscripts sits on the seventh floor of the Anna Centenary Library in Kotturpuram. The Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Centre, known as GOML, holds 72,714 manuscripts, 50,580 of them on palm leaf and 22,134 on paper, along with 25,373 reference books, according to the State Department of Archaeology’s page on the library. Anyone with a genuine research purpose can ask to consult them.
The library is older than most Chennai institutions people know by name. It dates from 1869, and its collection grew out of manuscripts gathered from around 1800 by Colonel Colin Mackenzie, C.P. Brown and others. Here is what it holds, how to use it, and the rules you must follow.
What is in the collection
Although this is a Chennai institution, Tamil is not its largest section. The department’s breakdown of manuscripts by language:
| Language | Manuscripts |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit | 49,755 |
| Tamil | 16,958 |
| Telugu | 2,232 |
| Persian | 1,396 |
| Marathi | 967 |
| Local records | 434 |
| Arabic | 407 |
| Kannada | 254 |
| Urdu | 184 |
| Other languages | 127 |
The reference library adds 7,320 Sanskrit, 6,926 English, 5,442 Tamil, 1,875 Telugu and 705 Urdu books. Subjects range across mathematics, astronomy, Siddha, Ayurveda, Unani, Vedas, Agamas, architecture, music, history and grammar. When the collection was moved, officials said it included Tamil classics such as the Tirukkural, Manimegalai and Tolkappiyam, and that many manuscripts were 300 to 500 years old, Deccan Chronicle reported.
The figures differ slightly between official pages. The Tamil Nadu public libraries site lists 50,180 palm-leaf manuscripts and 26,556 rare printed books, and also names Pali and Sinhalese among the languages. Treat the totals as approximate.
From Chepauk to Kotturpuram
For decades GOML occupied the western wing of the Madras University Library building at Chepauk, and the archaeology department’s page still lists that address in places. In April 1980 it came under the Department of Archaeology. In May 2017 about 72,000 manuscripts were moved to the seventh floor of the Anna Centenary Library, which had been set aside for rare manuscripts but had stood empty for about six years. The Anna Centenary Library paid for the shift.
The current address is Anna Centenary Library, 7th Floor, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai 600085. It is the same building as the public library, so use the main entrance and ask at the reception for the manuscripts floor.
How to consult a manuscript
The archaeology department sets out the reading-room rules:
- Visit on a working day. The library opens from 10 am, with closing times listed as 5.30 pm or 5.45 pm, and is closed on Fridays, Saturdays and government holidays. Call the Anna Centenary Library before a first visit to confirm.
- Sign the register with your name and address.
- Submit a requisition letter with a declaration in the prescribed format to consult or copy a manuscript. Ask the counter for the form.
- Get the Curator’s permission for any tracing, photography or other reproduction.
- Handle with care. Writing on or damaging material is forbidden, and readers are liable to pay for any damage.
Staff can help. The library offers reference service, help from language experts to read manuscripts, translation of short passages by pandits, and bibliographies. Reading old palm leaf is a skill in itself; scripts such as Grantha and older Tamil letterforms need practice.
Tips for a first research visit
Go with a clear question. The catalogues are organised by language and subject, so knowing the title, author or subject of the text you want saves hours. If you cannot read old Tamil or Grantha letterforms yet, bring a guide or ask the staff in advance whether a language expert will be available that day. Carry a pencil rather than a pen, since writing near manuscripts is restricted.
Buying GOML publications
The library publishes rare manuscripts as books, in the Government Oriental Manuscript Series and Government Oriental Series, and issues an annual multilingual bulletin. Books are sold at a 25 per cent discount, with packing and postage extra. Postal orders need a demand draft payable to the Curator, Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Centre, Chennai, and overseas orders go by airmail, according to the department’s page.
Digitisation and related collections
Separately, the state has funded palm-leaf digitisation at other Chennai libraries. Under its 2017-18 schemes the Tamil Virtual Academy received Rs 105 lakh to digitise and catalogue palm-leaf manuscripts at the U.V. Swaminatha Iyer Library, the Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy, and the International Institute of Tamil Studies, the IT department lists. If you are researching a Tamil text, check those collections as well as GOML.
Quick answers
Where is the Oriental Manuscripts Library now?
On the seventh floor of the Anna Centenary Library, Kotturpuram, since May 2017.
How many manuscripts does it hold?
72,714 according to the archaeology department, of which 50,580 are palm leaf and 16,958 are in Tamil.
Can a student or non-academic use it?
Yes, with a requisition letter and declaration. Copying needs the Curator’s permission.
Which days is it closed?
Fridays, Saturdays and government holidays.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
Sources
- Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Centre (Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology)
- Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Centre (Tamil Nadu Public Libraries)
- Over 72,000 palm-leaf, paper manuscripts moved to Anna library (Deccan Chronicle)
- TVA Schemes: palm-leaf manuscript digitisation (Information Technology Department, Government of Tamil Nadu)
