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Shri Mahavir Jain Aradhana Kendra
www.kobatirth.org
Acharya Shri Kailassagarsuri Gyanmandir
Overseas. And it would appear that arrangements were very nearly ready to sell the whole collection outright at an aggessed value, when public attention was focussed on certain remarks of Dr. Burnell to the effect that "it would not be possible to form a collection like that at Tanjore at a less cost than £ 50,000". The parties concerned had perforce to wake up and the deal was not immediately concluded. The public of Tanjore also began to interest themselves in the affair adequately. It was rightly considered as a question of National pride. The parties in 0. S. No. 26 of 1912 on the file of the Subordinate Judge of Tanjore agreed that it was eminently fit that the Library should be preserved and maintained as & Public Library in crust for the public and removed the Library and one lakh of rupees to provide for its up-keep, from the subject-matter of the suit. The Government of Madras in G. O. No. 1306 Home (Education), dated 5th October 1918, accordingly took possession of the same under the Charitable Endowments Act and have framed a scheme for the management of the same.
Since the Library became a Public Trust there has been a marked improvement in the reception accorded to it by the public. Various liberal and generous-minded benefactors have come forward with magnanimous offers. The Library has been enriched with several very fine collections of manuscripts, every one of them rare, valuable and very interesting. The Kāgalkar collection, Jambunátha Bhat Lindagai collection and the Patanga Avadhấta collection--all these three alone number 2181 manuscripts. Besides these, the Tyāgarāja Svāmi collection which alone contains more than 1000 manuscripts ; then the minor collections-the Subrabmapya Bästri collection, Subrahmanya Rao collection, Kámaoundra Ganupat collection, Nilakantha Sastri collection, Devabankara Tawker collection, Gopalakrepa Devaleker collection, and Krmpai
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