Asiatic Society

Location: At the junction of Park Street and Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
Visiting time: Weekdays, 12.00 - 7.00 pm. Saturdays, 12.00 - 3.30 pm. Sundays closed.
Admission Fee: Nil.
Hit the Spot: Any bus to Park Street can bring one here.
Photography / Video charges: Strictly prohibited.
Nearest Railway Station: Howrah
Nearest Metro Station: Park Street
Nearest International Airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
Time required for sight seeing: 2 hours.

The Asiatic Society was founded in 1784 with the influential help of Sir William Jones who joined the Calcutta Supreme Court as a Puisne Judge in 1783. Oriental study was already a vibe in the city then and on January 15, 1784, thirty such interested people including scholars such as Nathaniel Brassey Halhed, Charles Wilkins, HT Colebrooke and Warren Hastings, the Governor General of India then, assembled in the Grand Jury Room of the Supreme Court at Calcutta (Kolkata) and adopted the proposal of Jones for founding the institution, which was christened as "The Asiatick Society". William Jones became its first President whereas Warren Hastings was made the Patron of the Society. Since then the position of the Patron was held by the Governor General, then by the Governor of Bengal, till 1947. George Hillarow Barlow was elected the first Secretary of the Society.

The Asiatic Society allowed Indians to be a part of the esteemed organisation in 1829. Five Indian stalwarts Prasanna Kumar Thakur, Dwarkanath Tagore, Shibchandra Das, Rasamoy Datta and Ram Kamal Sen - were elected as the first Indian members. Since then, the organisation is open to people of all nationalities irrespective of religion, race and caste.

But there remained a lot of confusion regarding the name of the Society and its series of publications. Though its original name was "Asiatick Society", in 1825, the alphabet "K" was dropped and it became "Asiatic Society". In 1899, an effort was made to alter the name of the Society to "Asiatic Society of Bengal" but the proposal was vetoed down by the general assembly. A Royal charter was obtained in 1936 and the Society was then renamed "The Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal". At a general meeting held on January 2, 1950, the organisation was again named "Asiatic Society". However, confusion still exists about the title of the Society's journal as well. Its unofficial organ Asiatick Researches continued from 1788 to 1849. The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal continued from 1832 to 1934. From 1935 to 1952, it was called the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal. From 1953, the Journal came to be known as the Journal of the Asiatic Society.


The most important and powerful work of the Asiatic Society is its publications under the Bibliotheca Indica series. It consists of an extraordinary series of oriental texts in Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Bengali, Tibetan and other Asian languages and their translations.

With emphasis on sub alternism and local history today, the Society plays an important function in rebuilding the history of modern south Asia from the debris of its colonial past.

Following the success of this society, Asiatic Societies were also established in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Tokyo, and America (with a different name Oriental Academy), and recently in Bangladesh.

The organisational set-up of the Society was modeled on the Royal Society. The Council is elected by members for a term of one year. From the start, it had a patron who had been always the head of the State. The Society, as in the past, has a Council to administer its affairs now. It has a President, a Vice President, a Treasurer, and a number of Additional Members looking after different departments. The Society also has members, honorary members, associate members and corresponding members, and elects outstanding Orientalists to fellowship. The Society's businesses are transacted in its monthly meetings.

In 1984, The Central government declared Asiatic Society as a building of national importance. From then on, it has been funded by the Central Government.

Grub Joints

The Asiatic Society is at the heart of the Chowringhee-Park Street-Esplanade stretch which is a Grubbers delight in Kolkata. There are numerous restaurants which offer a range of mouth watering delights: blends of home- feel Bengali cuisines, to the spicy Mughlai, to the sizzling Chinese, to Italian and Continental spreads.

If one wants to try on the flavours of Bengal one should visit the Peerless Inn or the Oh! Calcutta. For Mughlai freaks, there is Aminia, Rahmania and Shiraz; Marco Polo, Bar-B-Q and Golden Dragon offer delicious Chinese cuisine whereas Domino's at Russel Street and Pizza Hut at Camac Street excel in Italian delicacies. Indian Cricket icon Saurav Ganguly's signature restaurant-Saurav's-The Food Pavilion is a grubbers delight whereas the British legacy is still exemplarily followed by Flury's. One could drop in at Peter Cat, Mocambo or One Step up! for Continental spreads, whereas people looking for some cool beverages can drop in at Barista or CCD. One can also treat themselves to mouthwatering puchkas, sherbets, fruit salads and other road side delicacies near the Asiatic Society, although they could be tough on the tummy at times!

Related External Link:
Official website of Asiatic Society