Manuscript
The wonderful library of Asiatic Society of Bengali, Sanskrit, Persian, Urdu, Chinese and Japanese manuscripts, compiling works of sacred texts, poetry, chronicles and autobiographies. The Society can use these few and frequently illuminated works to track the centuries of scholarship and literary creativity and book-making across the regions.
Paintings
In Kolkata the Asiatic Society holds some of the most important inscriptions, such as the Ashokan rock edicts and copper plate grants, which helped to understand the Indian rulers, religion and governance of the ancient times.
Sculptures
The Asiatic Society, Kolkata currently holds the paintings, that cut across the subjects of anthropology and zoology to botany, architecture and history, and are thus important visual records of early colonial India.
Coins
A large hoard of gold, silver and copper coins was saved by the Asiatic Society, some of which were subsequently donated by the Indian Museum in 1866, and the gold coins have now been sorted and readied awaiting a professional catalogue with the numismatic description of a learned expert. The specimens on display belong to different times and dynasties, which depicts the rich monetary and cultural heritage of India.
Inscriptions
The oldest inscription in the Society is the Bairat Edict of Ashoka, where James Prinsep first deciphered the Brahmi script in 1837, as well as the archives hold a great deal of valuable stone and copper-plate inscriptions, which record religious, historical, and administrative customs in different parts and through the centuries. These writings are invaluable sources of evidence about the early governance, religion, and cultural interaction in the subcontinent.
Rare Books
The library of the Society contains a wonderful collection of rare books and periodicals dating back between 15th and 19th century like the Firmicus volume published in 1499, Charles Wilkins translation of the Bhagavad Gita and the collection of works by William Jones, in addition to the early printed Bengali and Sanskrit literature. The books are a reflection of the development of scholarship, printing culture, and intellectual networks that contributed to the early modern knowledge on India.
Plates
Original drawings on stone were reproduced by means of lithographs first invented in 1796 and these gave a detailed artistic record of Indian life, pursuits, scenery and architecture the work of artists like Mrs. S.C. Belnos and Charles D.Oyly. The prints are incredibly rich historical records, portraying the daily life, city landscape, and cultural customs of the 19 th century India.