The Leela Chitra Mandir houses an extraordinary library: 1,167 editions of the Bhagavad Gita, ancient and modern, in 22 languages of the world. This collection includes some of the most rare and precious manuscripts in India's cultural heritage.
The 1,167 Gita editions encompass the full historical sweep of the text, from ancient handwritten Sanskrit manuscripts (pandulipiyan) to modern printed editions in languages ranging from Hindi and Sanskrit to English, Russian, German, French, Japanese, and more.
Among the most precious items in the collection are illustrated ancient manuscripts: rare books that contain hand-drawn images alongside the text, preserved across centuries. These are genuine cultural artefacts, providing a window into how earlier generations of Indians engaged with and illustrated their most sacred text.
Also on Display
- A plastic pillar with the complete Gita text inscribed, topped by a chariot with Shri Krishna and Arjun, an unusual and memorable installation
- Ancient handwritten Gita manuscripts with illustrations (sachitra pustak)
- The Gita in 22 world languages, demonstrating its universal reach beyond India
- Rare early printed editions showing the evolution of the text's visual presentation
A Living Library of the World's Most Distributed Scripture
The Bhagavad Gita is the most distributed spiritual text in human history. More copies have been printed than any other single philosophical text. Gita Press alone has published 1,844 lakh (184.4 million) copies. The library at Leela Chitra Mandir tells the story of this global journey, from ancient Sanskrit manuscripts to modern translations in 22 languages.