Camillo Formigatti and Menaka PP Bora

John Clay Sanskrit Librarian at the Bodleian Libraries Camillo Formigatti uncovers some of the jewels of Sanskrit literature held at the Bodleian Libraries.

Formigatti has put together a collection of some of the best passages from the renowned stories, poems, dramas and myths of South Asian literature, including the Mahābhārata and the Rāmāyaṇa. They include episodes from the adventures of young Krishna, the life of Prince Rāma and Hindu foundational myths, the life of the Buddha, and Buddhist and Jaina birth stories. Many of the works held in the Bodleian’s Clay Sanskrit Library are exquisitely illustrated. The collection includes birch-bark and palm-leaf manuscripts, vibrant Mughal miniatures, early printed books, sculptures, watercolour paintings and even early photograph albums.

Formigatti is John Clay Sanskrit Librarian at the Bodleian Libraries and previously worked as a research associate on the Sanskrit Manuscripts Project in Cambridge.

This event is part of the festival’s programme of Indian literature and culture.

Presented by Bodleian Libraries.