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Rajasthan, which already ranks high on the list of popular destinations in India for its heterogeneous bouquet of history, architecture, culture, cuisine, and hospitality, just added another feat to its glory—an underground library, which also happens to be one of the biggest in Asia. Read on to know more. By Kumar Shree
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Underneath the Bhadariya village of the Thar Desert region in Rajasthan sits a library that is as unique as it can get. Sitting 16 feet under the ground, it is a grand bibliotheca that treasures around 900,000 books and has the seating capacity of 4,000 people at one time. Talk about reading for hours without worrying about the scorching heat!
The library was built by Harbansh Singh Nirmal, a Punjab native, who was also known as Bhadariya Maharaj. The grand collection is made up of books he received as gifts and many notable titles from around the globe. Talking about the subjects, the collection at this underground library in Rajasthan forms up of books on wide-ranging topics like astrology, astronomy, atlas, dictionaries, epics, histories, and sciences, which sits poisedly in 562 glass shelves.
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The books in this library are accumulated over 22 years as the collection began in 1998. The temple here has been built by a trust called Jagdamba Seva Committee, which is also owned by Bhadariya Maharaj. The villagers also recall that Bhadariya Maharaj stayed here for years and read up almost all the 900,000 books. The villagers and the temple devotees take care of the library at present.
The library is indeed a book lover’s dream come true. Make sure to put it on your bucket list and drop by when you are in Rajasthan, the next time post the lockdown.
Related: This Mini Roadside Library In Aizawl Will Win Your Heart
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