Thornhill Mayne Public Library, Prayagraj: The Largest Library in UP, a Scottish Baronial Palace, Timings and Visit Guide

ॐEssential info at a glance

ॐThornhill Mayne Library timings and entry

The library is open from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday to Wednesday, and closed on Thursdays. Entry is free, both to admire the magnificent building and to use the general reading spaces; and an annual membership of about Rs 100 allows you to borrow books. Whether you come to read, to research among its rare treasures, or simply to admire one of the finest colonial buildings in the city, it is a rewarding stop, set within the green of the Azad Park.

ॐThornhill Mayne Public Library: the largest library in UP

Within the green expanse of the Chandra Shekhar Azad Park, in the Civil Lines and George Town quarter, stands a building that looks for all the world like a Scottish castle, and holds within it a treasure of the mind: the Thornhill Mayne Public Library, officially the Government Public Library of Prayagraj. Established in 1864, it is the largest library in all of Uttar Pradesh, and among the oldest and most significant public libraries in India. It is at once two wonderful things: a magnificent heritage building, one of the finest colonial structures in the city, and a great living library, a treasure-house of over a hundred and twenty-five thousand books and of precious rare manuscripts. For the lover of books, of architecture, or of history, it is among the most rewarding places in Prayagraj.

ॐThe gothic palace: the Scottish Baronial architecture

The building itself is a marvel, and a surprise. It was designed by Richard Roskell Bayne, the same accomplished architect who gave the city the nearby Mayo Memorial Hall; and he built it in the striking Scottish Baronial Revival style, so that it resembles nothing so much as a gothic palace, or a castle out of the Scottish highlands, set incongruously and wonderfully within an Indian park. It has sharp pillars and turrets of granite and sandstone, lofty towers and a tall spire, and arcaded cloisters; and it shows a beautiful structural polychromy, the play of different coloured stones across its walls. Completed around 1870, it is considered a remarkable example of its style, a piece of the architecture of far-off Scotland reimagined in the stone of the Indian plains, and a landmark that delights every visitor who comes upon it among the trees.

ॐA treasure-house of knowledge

If the building is grand, its contents are greater still. As the largest library in Uttar Pradesh, it holds a collection of over a hundred and twenty-five thousand books, together with some forty magazines and twenty-eight newspapers, in Hindi, English, Urdu, Bangla and more. But its true glory lies in its rare treasures: twenty-one precious Arabic manuscripts; old government publications and parliamentary papers, the famous blue books, of the colonial era; nineteenth-century journals; and rare old manuscripts, among them the works of the great Urdu poets for which Allahabad was long famous. It is a treasure-house of knowledge that has drawn scholars and readers, the learned and the common lover of books alike, for over a century and a half; and until 1888 the State Museum, too, shared these very premises, so that this hall was once the heart of both the books and the antiquities of the region.

ॐThe memorial of a friendship, and the old legislative hall

The building carries a warm and human story in its very name, for the Thornhill Mayne Memorial was raised as a monument to a friendship. It was built by Mr. Mayne, the Collector of Allahabad, in memory of his dear friend Cuthbert Bensley Thornhill, the Commissioner of Allahabad; two men who worked together to build up the city and who shared a love of learning, so that this hall of books stands, fittingly, as a testament to their friendship and their devotion to scholarship. And the building has a second, civic history too: before the library came to it in 1879, it had served, in the British era, as the House of the Legislative Assembly of the United Provinces, when Allahabad was the colonial capital of the province; so its rooms have echoed both with the debates of a legislature and with the quiet of a great library.

ॐA castle full of books, in my own words

By Rajeev Sharma, guide with Experience My India

I love bringing my visitors to the old Public Library in Azad Park, because they never expect it: right there among the trees stands what looks like a Scottish castle, all turrets and towers, and inside it is the biggest library in all of UP. I tell them it was designed by the same architect as Mayo Hall, in the Scottish Baronial style, and they are always charmed by how a piece of Scotland ended up in our park. And I tell them the lovely story of the name, how it was built by one British officer, Mayne, in memory of his friend Thornhill, so it is really a monument to a friendship and to a love of books.

For those who care for such things, I tell them about the treasures inside: the hundred and twenty-five thousand books, the twenty-one rare Arabic manuscripts, the old colonial papers, the works of our great Urdu poets. And I explain that this same hall was once the legislative assembly, when Allahabad was the capital. I always pair it with the Azad memorial in the same park, and with Mayo Hall and the cathedral, so my visitors see the whole colonial heritage of Civil Lines. It is a beautiful, peaceful, learned old place, and a real delight for anyone who loves books or buildings.

In more than forty years of guiding, showing visitors this castle full of books is among the most delightful surprises I share.

ॐWhat to see and do

• Admire the Scottish Baronial building, its turrets, towers, spire and coloured stonework.
• Explore the reading spaces of the largest library in Uttar Pradesh.
• Learn of its rare treasures: the 125,000 books, the Arabic manuscripts and the colonial papers.
• Hear the story of the memorial to the friendship of Thornhill and Mayne, and the old legislative hall.
• Pair it with the Azad memorial in the same park, and with Mayo Hall, by the same architect.

ॐHow to reach Thornhill Mayne Library

The library is within the Chandra Shekhar Azad Park, in George Town and Civil Lines, in the heart of the city, easily reached by road; it is a short walk from the Azad memorial and the park's other sights.

It is within the Azad Park, in the heart of Civil Lines.

ॐBest time to visit and how to plan it

• Pair it with the Azad memorial in the park, and Mayo Hall and All Saints Cathedral.
• Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the building and the collection; more for reading or research.

For Prayagraj, or a combined Kashi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj visit, planned end to end, see our tour packages.

ॐAccessibility for elderly and mobility limited visitors

• It is a heritage building, so there may be steps; the exterior and the reading rooms are largely enjoyable.
• The surrounding park is level and green, pleasant for a gentle visit.
• The quiet reading spaces suit a restful, unhurried visit for elderly book-lovers.
• We arrange transport and plan a comfortable, gentle heritage walk of the park and Civil Lines.

ॐEtiquette for visiting

• It is a working library; keep silence and a quiet, respectful manner in the reading rooms.
• Handle the books with care; the rare manuscripts and old papers may need special permission to view.
• Follow the library's rules on photography, bags and membership.
• Treat the heritage building with respect; do not deface or damage it.

ॐOur guided heritage visits and Prayagraj tours

We are a Varanasi, Ayodhya and Prayagraj based operator, a unit of Experience My India, with more than forty years of guiding visitors across all three cities, and our own local guide in Prayagraj. Entry is free, so what we offer is the story and the planning: a guide who tells the history and the architecture of the great old library, respectfully and well, the visit woven into a walk of the Azad Park and the Civil Lines colonial heritage, with Mayo Hall, All Saints Cathedral and Anand Bhawan, and the whole heritage of the city, in a full Prayag day.

Inclusions and exclusions are stated up front, with any taxes and conditions, and no charge appears later that was not named. Entry is free; our charge is only for guiding and services. See all our tour packages for the full range.

Experience My India is a travel operator, not the library administration. Entry is free; our charge is only for our guiding and services. Timings and rules are set by the library and can change.

ॐNearby sites in Prayagraj

The library is within the Azad Park, among the colonial heritage of Prayagraj.

For the great park around the library, see our Chandra Shekhar Azad Park guide.