Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 2012 - ongoing (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
3 items
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was founded by the eminent Sanskrit scholar Sir Henry Thomas Colebrooke on the 15th March 1823. It received its Royal Charter from King George IV on the 11th August 1824 'for the investigation of subjects connected with and for the encouragement of science, literature and the arts in relation to Asia'. It continues as a forum for those who are interested in the languages, cultures and history of Asia to meet and exchange ideas.
Name of creator
Administrative history
Name of creator
Biographical history
Nalini Balbir is a French Indologist who lives in Paris. She is a scholar of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Pali, Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism. She was previously a student of Indologist Colette Caillat. She is known for her work on the publication of the Catalogue of the Jain Manuscripts of the British Library published by the Institute of Jainology.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
The Society's collections hold two Jambudvipa - RAS Cat.065.001 and RAS Cat.069.001. The information about these is:
- 'Royal Asiatic Society, Number 065.001, Jambudvipa, a Jain map of the universe, c.1830' - an article by Dr Nalini Balbir concerning this item. Also with this is another article by Balbir, 'Jain Yantra kept at the Royal Asiatic Society', dated January 2012.
- 'Science Museum: 5000 years of Science and Innovation - Illuminating India' - advertising brochure for the exhibition in which the Society's Jambudvipa is featured, 2017-2018.
- 'The Silk Road to Silicon Valley - 5000 years of Indian innovation' - copy of an article from The Times, 3 October 2017 concerning the Science Museum exhibition in which the Jambudvipa was shown.