The Mythic Society of Bangalore
As part of the bicentenary activities, we continue to renew our links with our sister societies. On the 21st of November we held a Zoom meeting with the Mythic Society of Bangalore. Mr. V. Nagaraj, the Honorary Secretary, gave an excellent presentation on its history, current research projects and activities. It has a well-stocked library with over 40,000 volumes which is open to everyone and publishes a quarterly journal. Please see the recording of the lecture.
The Society was founded in 1909 by F.R. Richards who served as the Collector of Bangalore Cantonment between 1909 and 1913. On 5 May 1909, European and Indian members met with the aim of establishing a society for the study of the history and culture of South India. It became an associate society of the RAS in 1924.
A key figure was Father Antoine Marie Tabard (1863-1926) a French priest of the Society of Foreign Missions of Paris. He served as President between 1910-1926 and was instrumental in obtaining the present site for the construction of the Sir Hugh Daly Hall in 1916. For his scholarship, Father Tabard was conferred the Kaiser i Hind ( medal awarded for public service in India between 1900-1947) and the honorary title of Rajasabhabhushana by the Mysore Durbar. He was a member of the Royal Asiatic Society and played an important role in the foundation of the University of Mysore.
The Sir Hugh Daly Hall was built with the support of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the Mahararaja of Mysore, the Maharaja of Baroda, the Begum of Bhopal and the Raja of Travancore.
The talk was recorded over zoom and is available to watch in full on YouTube:
The Society’s reprint of James Tod’s Annals and Antiquities of Rajast’han is now available to buy. Use the flyer below to claim a 20% off discount.
