National Library

The National Library of India in Belvedere Estate, Alipore, Kolkata, is India's largest library and a designated Institution of National Importance. Housed in the former Belvedere Estate, the official residence of Viceroys of India, it traces its origins to the Calcutta Public Library (1836) and Imperial Library (1891). It holds over 2.2 million books, rare manuscripts, maps and periodicals, serving as the nation's premier repository and research centre.

Visitors can expect a sprawling 30-acre Belvedere Estate with the heritage Belvedere House and the modern Bhasha Bhavan building. The complex includes vast reading rooms, exhibition galleries, rare book and manuscript sections, and landscaped gardens. Access to interiors is primarily for readers and researchers with valid membership or day permission, while casual visitors can view the exterior heritage architecture, gardens and occasional exhibitions in a quiet, academic environment.

Originated as the Calcutta Public Library in 1836, amalgamated with the Imperial Library established in 1891 by Lord Curzon. After Independence, it was designated the National Library of India under the Imperial Library (Change of Name) Act 1948. The collection was shifted from The Esplanade to the Belvedere Estate in 1953, the former palace of the Viceroys and later residence of the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal.

As India's library of national importance and largest library, it is the permanent repository of all reading material produced in India under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act. It preserves rare books, manuscripts, maps and periodicals in many Indian and foreign languages and serves as a premier centre for research, reference and cultural heritage conservation.