The First Dastur Meherji Rana Library
Navsari
The First Dastur Meherji Rana Library
Kangawad, Tarota Bazar, Navsari, Gujarat, 396445, INDIA
History
The library was founded in 1874 thanks to the efforts of Ardesar Framji Moos, Cursetji Maneckji Sethna, Jamsetjee Nasserwanji Petit and Khersedjee N. Seervar. The founder of the Library was a member of the Meherji-rana family, traditionally the head of the priests in Navsari. Several Dasturs in and around Navsari, like Sorabji Framji and Dastur Rustomji Kaikobad, donated their personal collections. Later the collections of Erachji Sorabji and Edalji Navroji Meherji-rana were added. In 2001 115 manuscripts were microfilmed by V P Microdata Pvt. Ltd. with the support of the UNESCO. A list of these manuscripts is available online.
Actual Board of Trustees
- Miss. Katy K. Antia
- Mr. Jimmy M. Tata
- Mrs. Zenobia T. Pesotanjamasp
- Mrs. Vera F. Choksey
Librarian
Bharti Ghandi
Catalogues
The catalogue of this library was published by B. N. Dhabhar (1925), Descriptive catalogue of all manuscripts in the First Dastur Meherji Rana Library, Navsari, Commercial Printing Press of the Tata Publicity Corporation, Bombay.
Kotwal, Firoze, Daniel Sheffield, & Bharti Gandhi. 2008. Preliminary Descriptive List of the Manuscripts Donated to the First Dastur Meherjirana Library since 1923 pdf
Avestan Manuscripts
These are the Avestan manuscripts in this library according to the published catalogues (Other Videvdad manuscripts have also been included):
- Pahlavī Yasna: F2, F3, F11, E6, E7, T6, T8, T54, T55
- Sanskrit Yasna: T7
- Pahlavī Vīsparad: F11, F13,, F14, E11, T12, T39, T40, T57
- Pahlavī Xwardag Abastāg: F5, F6, E8, E9, E11, E27, , T1, T2, T8, T9, T10, T11, T12, T15, T51, T52, T53
- P:āzand Xwardag Abastāg: F4, F7
- Sanskrit Xwardag Abastāg: T13 (with Gujarati translation too)
- Gujarati Xwardag Abastāg: T50, U2, U5, U6, U7, U8, U9
- Xwardag Abastāg Sāde: F36, F37, E1, E2, E3, E5, T3, T37, T49
- Pahlavī Vīdēvdād: F10, F11, E10, T42, T43, T44
- Gujarati Vīdēvdād: T56
- Vīdēvdād Sāde: F55, E4, T45, T46
- Nērangestān: F21, F22, E21, E22, T5, T17, T18, T58, T59
- Pahlavi Hadoxt Nask: F12, E12
- Hadoxt Nask Sade: F55
- Aog?madaeca: F33, T15
- Vae?a Nask: F3, F8, F54, F55, E20, T34, T38, T64
- Pahlavī Vīštāsp Yašt: F12, F13
- Gujarati Vīštāsp Yašt: F15
- Vīštāsp Yašt Sāde: T41
- Afrin i Zardušt: F35, E23, T61, T64
Furthermore, we have photographed the following Videvdad manuscripts, not present in Dhabhar’s catalogue:



