Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya

Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya. It is a premier archival institution in Nepal, dedicated to preserving the nation's literary and historical heritage. Founded in 1955, it serves as the permanent repository for materials related to the prestigious Madan Puraskar and Jagadamba Shree Puraskar awards. The library is renowned for its extensive collection of Nepali language publications, periodicals, and its pioneering work in digital archiving.

History and establishment

The institution was established in 1955 by the family of the late Madan Das Shrestha, a pioneering figure in Nepali literature and journalism. Its creation was intrinsically linked to the Madan Puraskar, a literary award instituted in 1954 by Shrestha's son, Purna Das Shrestha (Guruju), to honor the year's best book published in Nepal. The library was conceived to systematically collect and preserve every submission for these awards, forming the nucleus of a national archive. Initially operating from a family residence in Patan, its early growth was guided by literary figures like Satya Mohan Joshi and has since become an independent trust. Its mission expanded beyond award submissions to encompass a broad mandate for safeguarding Nepal's printed heritage, making it a vital resource for scholars studying the History of Nepal.

Madan Puraskar and Jagadamba Shree Puraskar

The library's foundational purpose is to administer and archive the Madan Puraskar and the Jagadamba Shree Puraskar, two of the most coveted literary honors in Nepal. The Madan Puraskar is awarded annually for the best original book, while the Jagadamba Shree Puraskar is a triennial award for an author's lifetime contribution to Nepali literature. Notable recipients over the decades include literary giants like Laxmi Prasad Devkota, Bhairav Aryal, Diamond Shumsher Rana, and Krishna Chandra Singh Pradhan. The library maintains a complete record of all submissions, jury deliberations, and related correspondence for these awards, providing an unparalleled chronological record of modern Nepali literary production and critical appraisal since the mid-20th century.

Digital archiving and the Nepal Yearbook

A flagship project of the institution is the digital preservation of its vast collections through the "Nepal Yearbook" database. This initiative aims to create a comprehensive digital archive of all Nepali language books, periodicals, and ephemera published since the advent of printing in Nepal with the 1913 book Muna Madan. The project involves meticulous scanning, optical character recognition, and metadata tagging, making rare and fragile materials accessible to researchers worldwide. Furthermore, the library digitally publishes the annual "Nepal Bibliography," a critical reference work that documents the year's publications. These efforts position the library at the forefront of combating the loss of printed materials in a region vulnerable to natural disasters and poor preservation conditions.

Collections and significance

The collections encompass over 50,000 items, including books, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, posters, and personal papers. It holds rare early prints from Nepal and Darjeeling, a complete run of seminal periodicals like Sharada, and special collections related to figures such as Balkrishna Sama and Siddhicharan Shrestha. Its archives are indispensable for research into the development of the Nepali language, the history of Nepali journalism, and the intellectual history of the Himalayas. The library also preserves important materials on the Rana dynasty, the democratic movements of the 20th century, and the cultural history of the Kathmandu Valley, serving as a non-governmental, independent memory institution for the nation.

Governance and organization

The library operates as an independent, non-profit trust governed by a board of trustees. It has been chaired by prominent intellectuals, including historian Baburam Acharya and, for many years, by publisher and writer Kamal Mani Dixit. The current chairman is journalist and writer Kanak Mani Dixit. The institution relies on grant funding, private donations, and partnerships with organizations like the Digital Himalaya Project and the British Library's Endangered Archives Programme to sustain its operations and ambitious digitization projects. Its staff includes expert archivists, librarians, and technologists dedicated to preserving Nepal's documentary heritage for future generations.