THANJAVUR: The historic Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s Saraswathi Mahal Library (TMSSML), one of Asia’s oldest libraries, is facing challenges due to staff shortage, jeopardising the preservation of its rare manuscript collection. Key roles, including posts crucial for the upkeep of ancient manuscripts, have remained vacant for years, leading to a halt in conservation efforts.
Founded as a royal library for the Nayak Kings of Thanjavur (1535–1675 CE) and expanded by the Maratha rulers, the library boasts a collection of nearly 60,000 manuscripts in languages such as Sanskrit, Telugu, Tamil, and Marathi. Of these, 39,300 are Sanskrit manuscripts in scripts like Grantha, Devanagari, Telugu, and Tamil. The library also houses 4,503 rare books from Raja Serfoji’s collection.
However, recent years have seen a decline in the library’s publishing output, attributed to a shortage of staff. Basic maintenance, including the cleaning and oiling of palm leaf manuscripts with citronella oil to preserve their integrity, has ceased entirely.
The post of ‘Manuscript Cleaner’ has been vacant for years, and even a daily wage worker employed for this task left a year ago, a library staff said. An RTI query filed by advocate V Jeevakumar revealed that only 14 of the 46 sanctioned posts are filled at present. Vacancies include positions for Tamil researchers, Sanskrit and Marathi scholars, a conservator, a preserver-cum-photographer, a mending assistant, and a sales manager. Of the three librarian posts, two are unoccupied.
The state’s annual grant to the library was raised from `40 lakh to `75 lakh in 2013-14, with further hikes since, yet it remains inadequate, sources said. “The full-time director’s post, vacant for 32 years, must be filled,” said Jeevakumar. Collector B Priyanka Pankajam, who serves as the director, was unavailable for comment.