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Time of India

Secret library unearthed under palace by collector who heard fables as a kid

1 2 3 Tikamgarh: Hidden beneath the ancient walls of Tal Kothi— a palace, built centuries ago by the Bundela rulers in Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh —lies an astonishing secret: an underground library filled with hundreds of rare volumes and editions. Once relegated to the realms of whispered family legends and childhood dreams, this lost repository of historical texts emerges from myth into reality. Nestled on the banks of Mahendra Sagar Lake, the five-storey marvel, now invites modern explorers to rediscover the silent depths of a bygone era. What began as a childhood memory of Vivek Kshotriya, the newly appointed collector of Tikamgarh, fueled by stories his grandparents told him about a secret collection of rare books stored in underwater rooms beneath the palace, has led to the discovery of nearly 50,000 books, including some of the most priceless historical texts ever produced. Among the remarkable finds is a rare edition of Sketches of Gandhi by Feliks Topolski, a Polish-born British artist and official war artist during World War II. Topolski, during his 1944 visit to India, captured the essence of Gandhi in spontaneous sketches. Besides, the library contains several pre-independence era books on dams in India, princely states, and historical manuscripts, including Anand Vrindavan Champu, written by 16th-century Indian Bengali poet Kavi Karnapura in Sanskrit in 1576 AD. Most of the books have seals of the erstwhile 'Orchha Presidential Library'. Now, with this treasure trove of history at his disposal, Kshotriya has ambitious plans to transform the space into a 'Heritage Library'. Proposals have been sent to both the state and central ministry of culture, seeking funding to preserve and showcase the invaluable collection for future generations. Experts are being called in from various parts of the country to restore books damaged by termites. "The library, once open to the public, could become a major cultural and educational hub, attracting scholars, historians, and visitors from across the globe," says collector Vivek Kshotriya, who has always been fascinated by history. Growing up in the heart of Madhya Pradesh, Vivek often visited his grandparents in the quaint town of Tikamgarh, nestled amidst the rolling hills of the Bundelkhand region. It was during these visits that young Vivek first heard whispers of a mysterious underground library, hidden deep beneath the grand and beautiful palace at the edge of the town. The stories were passed down like folklore—tales of ancient manuscripts, rare books, and forgotten scrolls buried beneath the palace grounds, some even dating back to the days before India's independence. Years later, after much hard work and dedication, Vivek rose through the ranks of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and was appointed as the collector of Tikamgarh district. As he stood in the district office on his first day, a flood of memories rushed back to him. He remembered his childhood curiosity, the evenings spent listening to his grandparents recount stories of the old royal family and the sprawling palace that once served as their home. One particular story stood out—the secret library, a treasure trove of historical records and manuscripts, hidden somewhere beneath the royal palace. Vivek decided to dig deeper into this childhood myth. He sought out the district's oldest residents, many of whom had spent their youth in the palace grounds. But when he finally enquired about the underground library, he was met with surprising news. The library, it seemed, was not just a myth. It was real—but it had been sealed off over two decades ago. The palace, popularly known as 'Tal Kothi', had been repurposed as a govt PG Degree College, with the library originally set up for students. According to local reports, one of the former librarians had been suspended for financial misappropriation, and in the aftermath of the alleged scandal, the library was locked up and abandoned. Since then, no one had been allowed access to the collection. Driven by an inexplicable pull to uncover what lay beneath, Kshotriya proposed to open the sealed chambers of the underground library and ordered the unlocking of the long-forgotten doors under his personal supervision. "There were multiple doors. Keys were missing. We had to break open the locks. The moment the heavy wooden door creaked open; I was struck by the eerie silence that enveloped the room. Dust motes floated in the beams of light filtering through cracks in the door. The air smelled of age, of time itself. As I stepped inside, I felt a sense of reverence, as if I had crossed into a different world—a world of forgotten knowledge and untold stories," Vivek recalls. The underground library was a marvel. Rows upon rows of shelves stood, laden with books and manuscripts, many in pristine condition, while others had weathered the ravages of time. Vivek was amazed at how the books had remained intact for all these years, despite the underground rooms being adjacent to the pond, where water levels rise to the library's entrance door during the monsoon season. "Ancient texts in languages long forgotten lay nestled between volumes of historical accounts, scientific treatises, and poetry that seemed to echo the past. Some of the books were bound in leather, others in delicate silk, their pages yellowed with age but still legible in places. I could hardly believe my eyes," he says. As Vivek and his team worked to catalog the books, it became clear that the library held treasures beyond imagination. There were rare first editions of works from British-era historians, treatises on ancient Indian architecture, and manuscripts believed to have been written by prominent royal scholars of the era. The history of Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and India itself seemed to come alive within those walls. Overwhelmed by the significance of the discovery, Vivek knew the collection could not remain hidden from the public eye. "I deployed security at the library with instructions to prohibit any unauthorized entry until it's properly set up. Many of those books are pieces of history that need to be preserved—treasures of knowledge that could enrich the minds of future generations." And so, Vivek Kshotriya has decided to transform the underground library into a public heritage library—a place that would not only house the massive collection of books but also serve as a living testament to the cultural and historical richness of Tikamgarh. His vision is to open the doors of the library to students of the govt college, scholars from across the country, and tourists eager to discover the hidden gems of India's past.