The Asiatic Library, a part of
Mumbai history treasures a rich and rare collection of books and artifacts of ages past. The two century-old institution holds almost a million books with the prize possession of an original first edition of Dante’s 'Inferno'. It also stores more than a thousand coins even dating back to the Mughal emperor,
Akbar.
The Asiatic Library is part of the
Town Hall with its imposing colonnade. It was built with materials brought over from England in 1833. The large library holds statues of personalities of the colonial era. With spiral stairways opening onto wide galleries with beautiful wood-laid floors, the library is as artistic as informative. The library is open to the public while admission to the rare collection needs prior permission.