09 July 2015

The Asiatic Society - BiCentenary - 15.1.1984


The stamp shows the building of the Society along-with the portrait of Sir William Jones, the founder of the Society. The First Day Cover shows the manuscript of Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, N.S. 191/A.D. 1071.

The Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on 15 January 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of its foundation, this Society was named as "Asiatick Society". In 1825, the society dropped the antique k without any formal resolution and the Society was renamed as "The Asiatic Society". In 1832 the name was changed to "The Asiatic Society of Bengal" and again in 1936 it was renamed as "The Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal." Finally, on 1 July 1951 the name of the society was changed to its present one. The Society is housed in a building at Park Street in Kolkata (Calcutta). The Society moved into this building during 1808. In 1823, the Medical and Physical Society of Calcutta was formed and all the meetings of this society were held in the Asiatic Society.

2 comments:

  1. Very informative. But can u provide some more info on painting depicted on cover.

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    1. You will appreciate that this is a stamp blog that only informs about the themes on which stamps and covers are issued. It do not claim to be an authority on the theme for which the stamp or the picture on the cover is printed. In this case a mention has been made about what the painting on the cover depicts. For more details you will have to search the Internet for various nuances of Buddhism.

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