Indian Libraries and Archives

Tamil Nadu Archives, Madras

A researcher of pre 1800 military history, in 2011 wrote "I did visit the Madras Archives ...with little clue as to where to go. There was no Index and no one to help barring a few students of history who were wrestling with their own difficulties. All the archives at Madras were stacked high and one could not reach any of them except through a request put into the Librarian!! This could take up to a 24 - 48 hour period --- and one came out from there feeling quite dusty, suffocated, coughing and sneezing".

External Links

• London School of Economics’ Archives Made Easy India gives details, written by Erica Wald in 2006-2007, of

• Asiatic Society (Calcutta)
• National Archives of India
• Tamil Nadu State Archives
• West Bengal State Archives

• These four India List posts give details of visiting the The National Archives, Janpath, New Delhi; Uttar Pradesh main archives at Lucknow, and their sub-office at Allahabad;Madhya Pradesh State Archives; West Bengal State Archives. Post 1, 2001 Post 2, 2001 Post 3, 2001 Post 4, 2007
• The University of Chicago Digital South Asia Library’s Libraries & Archives in South Asia (LASA) Wiki
• American Historical Association’s Archives Wiki has some entries for India
• ICA International Council on Archives has some entries for India
• Directory of Indian Government websites has a page Art and Culture including some Archives and Libraries
• Ministry of Culture
• Government of West Bengal Web Directory
• Asiatic Society, Kolkata is an “Autonomous Body” linked with the Ministry of Culture
• National Archives of India is an “Attached Office” of the Ministry of Culture.
• The National Library, Kolkata is a “Subordinate Office” of the Ministry of Culture
• Tamil Nadu Archives from TANAP a website about the Archives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC or Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie), 1602-1796.
• Tamil Nadu Archives from Government of Tamil Nadu website.
• Gujarat State Archives
• Some Archives in India and other counties from the BBC’s Next Steps- Tracing your Asian roots on the Indian subcontinent.
• Some Archives in India from Moving Here- Tracing Your Roots
• Article What lies inside the secret state archives [Mumbai]? Mid-Day.com 10 October 2010
• Article Kerala Regional Archive to get records from Mumbai The Hindu 25 November 2010
• Article What a way to annihilate history! about the Jammu and Kashmir State Archives in 2007 from KashmirWatch.Com
• Indian Courts, a Government of India website.