From A Parsi Student Library To A Heritage Structure, JN Petit Library's History Is Fascinating

With breathtakingly beautiful architecture and a huge collection of books to match; J. N. Petit Library in Fort is one of the most iconic libraries in the city. But did you know that this library was originally started by a group of Parsi students?

Starting out as a small library set up by students of Elphinstone College in the year 1856, the current building of the library was inaugurated in 1898. With its Venetian Gothic design, polychromatic exterior and stained glass embellishments; the structure is considered to be one of the finest examples of neo-Gothic architecture in the city. It has been classified as a Grade Ⅱ Heritage structure. 

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia 

The library is functional even today and is open for all Mumbai residents. It houses over 150,000 books spanning various genres such as history, art, culture, religion, fiction and nonfiction. The library mostly has books in English, but you can also find a few good reads in other languages including Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Urdu and Persian. The J. N. Petit Library has a heritage collection of ancient Zorastrian manuscripts, rare books and a rare copy of the 11th century epic poem Shahnameh by Ferdowsi.

Along with never ending rows of bookshelves, the library has a beautiful reading room complete with airy arched doorways, stained glass windows and comfortable reading chairs. The reading room is always crammed with students working on some extra referencing. A membership here will cost you just Rs 1000 for a whole year and it will allow you to take three books and two magazines for a fortnight. Isn’t that amazing?! This library sure has to be on every bibliophiles must-visit list!

Where: 312, Dr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd, Azad Maidan, Fort, Mumbai
When: 7 am to 8:30 pm