Lang Library stands not merely as a custodian of books, but as a living monument — preserving the voices, visions, and values of Saurashtra’s storied past while steadily turning its gaze towards the digital future.
Nestled in the heart of Rajkot, stands the awe-inspiring, classical-style Arvindbhai Maniyar Hall — a 150-year-old Victorian sandstone marvel that once echoed with the deliberations of the erstwhile independent state of Saurashtra. Today, its grandeur is shared by the Gujarat government’s Watson Museum in the north and, in the south, one of India’s oldest public libraries - Lang Library.
Established in 1856 as the Gun Grahak Mandal by Rajkot’s circle of intellectuals, the library was later rechristened to honour Colonel William Lang, a British political agent whose vision for education transformed the Saurashtra region. From its humble beginnings in an English school to its relocation to Colonel Lang’s Bungalow in 1864, the institution’s history is interwoven with towering figures — including Mahatma Gandhi’s father, Karamchand Gandhi, once the Diwan of Rajkot State, who is believed to have been among its custodians.
As Professor Dr. Yogesh S. Mehta notes in his seminal work, The Lang Library, A University in Miniature, the main hall proudly bears Colonel Lang’s portrait, beneath which a marble plaque immortalises his legacy. “This Library formerly established in the Residency grounds was founded by the chiefs of Kathiawar in the memory of Col. W. Lang who served for 28 years in this province in which was Political Agent from 1856 to 1859. A kind friend and a firm administrator, he endeared himself to Chiefs and subjects and to his private beneficence was due to the first girls’ school in Kathiawar.”
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Turning Pages into Pixels: The Timeless Saga of Lang Library
With a collection of 1,07,000 volumes — spanning Gandhian thought, Jain and Parsi literature, historical chronicles, biographies, philosophy, art, religion, and rare reference works — Lang Library is a sanctuary for bibliophiles. Many of its works, preserved in English, Gujarati, Hindi, Persian, Sindhi, Urdu, and other regional tongues, date back to pre-Independence India.
In an era where fragile paper often succumbs to time’s slow decay, the Lang Library Trust (LLT) has waged a determined battle for preservation. Over the past four years, more than 12,000 priceless works have been meticulously digitised — including Ranikdevi ne Rahkhengar, Maharani Shree Victoria nu Jivanchritra, Maharaja Malharrav Gayakvad, England ma Pravash, Kachchh Deshno Itihash, Sikander Name, Kathiyawad Directory, Kathiyawad Sarvsangrah, Rajkot Directory, Mahikantha Directory and Revakantha Directory.
The journey begins at the library’s welcoming entrance, leading to a well-appointed reading room where the aroma of ink and paper blends with the rustle of daily newspapers — 27 in total, across Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi, and English — alongside a rich spread of current affairs magazines.
Currently, the digitised archives can be accessed on just one of the library’s twelve computers, but expansion is underway to make these virtual treasures available on all systems. Open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the library draws 700–800 eager readers daily. “While the organisation has 8,000 registered members, only 3,500 are active as of now and pay a nominal fee of Rs 30 per month for the library’s maintenance,” notes Pravin Rupani (75), honorary secretary of LLT.
Lang Library stands not merely as a custodian of books, but as a living monument — preserving the voices, visions, and values of Saurashtra’s storied past while steadily turning its gaze towards the digital future.
