South Asian Core Collections

The South Asia collection at EFEO Central Library in Paris includes: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan.
This collection mainly focuses on classical research in religion, philosophy, religious history, art and religious iconography, archaeology, epigraphy, studies of source material, ancient history, and to a lesser extent, social sciences.

The collection expanded according to fields of research of EFEO researchers, such as Jean Filliozat, Suzanne Karpelès, François Gros, N.R. Bhatt, Françoise l'Hernault, etc.
Nowadays, it consists of approximately 21,000 documents in Western and Eastern languages (mainly in Sanskrit and Tamil), 133 titles of periodicals mainly in English language (including 22 current titles), more than one hundred manuscripts, a hundred maps, some rubbings and works of art (Tibetan figurines), and approximately 19,000 photographs (available for consultation at EFEO Paris photo library).

Since 2011, approximately 5,000 monographs and 50 titles of periodicals were deposited at BULAC (the following fields are in deposit according to documentary policy: literature and linguistics, Tamil studies, law, economics, sciences).
Collections of the Library of Pondicherry EFEO Center, which focus on Tamil and Sanskrit philology, archaeology, art history and epigraphy of South India, are also available in our online catalogs.

Contact: Maïté Hurel, head of the South Asian collection

EFEO News
Research project support manager
Paris, France, 20 September 2025
The research project support manager will support the EFEO's teacher-researchers in preparing responses to calls for proposals in the field of research in the humanities and social sciences, at the national (ANR, etc.), European (ERC, etc.) and international levels.

Application deadline: September, 20, 2025.

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Library
Paris, France, 17 September 2025
Due to the strike announced tomorrow, Thursday, September 18, 2025 the EFEO library in Paris will be exceptionally closed all day.

It is open at its usual times, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.
Please make your book reservation requests via the catalogue, and your archive consultation requests via the form on https://archives.efeo.fr/ (bottom left of the home page).

Consult the catalogs and digital tools:
Books and periodicals catalog
- Archives and manuscripts catalog
- Digital heritage library

Please check the EFEO's Facebook page and Twitter account regularly for any updates to the conditions of public access.
New Publication
Pondicherry,

A Manual on the Practice of Haṭhayoga
An Edition and Translation of the Pune Manuscript of the Haṭhābhyās

By Jason BIRCH, Mark SINGLETON and James MALLINSON 

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New Publication
Pondicherry,

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Lecture
Paris, France, 18 June 2025
On the occasion of the exhibition Angkor Royal Bronzes: Art of the Divine presented at the Guimet - Musée national des arts asiatiques until September 8, of which he is co-curator, Brice Vincent will present "Bronzes royaux d'Angkor, un art du divin: nouveaux regards sur la métallurgie du cuivre dans le Cambodge angkorien". This lecture is organised jointly by the Association des Amis d'Angkor and the EFEO.

At 5.30 p.m. in the Grand Salon of the Maison de l'Asie, subject to availability.