Asian Association of Mumbai at town hall

The Asia Society at Mumbai City Hall was opened as a cultural center for British officials residing in Bombay. City Hall has seen all the official announcements and live performances conducted here since its completion in 1833. Today it houses the Library of the Asian Association, the library. State Center and a museum, headquarters of Maharashtra State Library Directorate, additional controller of stamp office, Maharashtra State Women's Council and a post office.

The Heritage Building of the Town Hall located in the Fort area of ​​Mumbai, overlooking the Horniman Circle and its grand steps has been a prominent location for filming many Bollywood films.

The idea of ​​​​building the City Hall was first carried out by the 'Bombay Literary Association' with the aim of preserving oriental literature, artefacts, culture and art. However, only INR 10,000 could be raised through the lottery and the fund was only enough to complete the library and museum. The amount raised is not equal to the amount needed to build the entire City Hall. Therefore, construction is halted until funding is received from the government. It was only in 1833 that the construction of the Town Hall was completed.

The Bombay Literary Society was founded in 1804 by Sir James Mackintosh, one of the most famous barristers and a public figure in England, with the aim of 'promoting useful knowledge'. The inspiration behind the formation of the Bombay Literary Society was taken from Sir William Jones, who had founded the Association of Asian Bengali Presidents about two decades earlier.

It was renamed the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asian Society (BBRAS) in 1826 after a merger with the Royal Asian Society of Great Britain and Ireland (RAS). Beginning in 1841, the association extended membership to the Indians and that same year it published its own magazine with the title, 'Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asian Society'.

After India gained independence, around 1954, the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asian Society separated itself from the Royal Asian Society of Great Britain and Ireland and was renamed the Bombay Asia Society. . In 2002, it changed its name to the Asian Association of Mumbai after Bombay was renamed Mumbai.

The architecture of the Mumbai Asia Society was designed by one of Bombay's finest engineers of its time, Colonel Thomas Cowper. The architecture of the Neoclassical Town Hall is a mixture of elements from Greek and Roman architectural styles spanning over 60 meters with a height of 30 meters.

While the entrance to the building consists of 30 steps, Doric columns, lined up right at the entrance, are followed by a Grecian archway. The entire structure is built of stone shipped from England, while ancient Burmese teak covers the floors and bookshelves brought in from Myanmar. The spiral stairs inside the Town Hall lead to the steps lined with wrought iron brought in from England. The building also has a flagpole and the Indian National Flag is flown every year on August 15th and January 26th.

The Asia Society's Mumbai City Hall Museum at City Hall features fine marble statues and portraits of patrons of the Asia Society in the hallways and Durbar Hall of the Town Hall Museum. Among the museum's other artefacts is a huge collection of ancient coins and gold 'Mohurs' of the Mughal era.

Mumbai's Asian Association Library at City Hall is famous for its antique collection of 80,000 books, magazines, manuscripts, and more. The library's special collection includes Sanskrit manuscripts. 16th century manuscript of the Mahabharata, original 14th century manuscript of Dante's poem 'The Divine Comedy', over 3000 book manuscripts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Persian and Urdu. Other treasures of the library include periodicals, maps, prints, and gardenia.

As far as the foundation of the original Literary Society in 1804 was to share useful knowledge with all. To this day, there are two libraries in the City Hall, one in the North Wing and the second in the South Wing.

Mumbai's Asian Association Library at City Hall is famous for its antique collection of 80,000 books, magazines, manuscripts, and more. The library's special collection includes 16th-century Sanskrit manuscripts of the Mahabharata, the original 14th century manuscript of Dante's poem, 'The Divine Comedy', more than 3000 book manuscripts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Persian and Urdu. Other treasures of the library include periodicals, maps, prints, and gardenia.

The backbone of the foundation of the original Literary Society in 1804 was the sharing of useful knowledge with all. To this day, there are two libraries in the City Hall, one in the North Wing and the second in the South Wing. The North Wing has been used as a library since the completion of City Hall construction and is run by the Mumbai Asian Association. This part of the library is accessible only to members of the congregation while the southern part of the library is operated as the Central State Library and is open to readers.

The entire collection of manuscripts housed in the library has been digitized and can be found on the association's official website.

Opening hours: 10:30 - 18:45

Entrance ticket:

Visitors/readers: INR 60/pax

Annual library registration: INR 500/pax

Permanent member (annual): INR 1500/pax

Permanent member (lifetime): INR 15,000/pax