The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI), Pune, was founded on July 6, 1917, to commemorate the legacy and pioneering work of Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar, India's foremost pioneer of scientific Orientology.
Operating as a distinguished public organization registered under Act XXI 1860 (a Public Trust), the Institute is partially supported by annual earmarked grants from the Maharashtra Government. Recognizing its world-class research standard, BORI has also received vital funding and research grants from the Government of India and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for specific high-impact research initiatives.
Orientology is the specialized study of the ancient indigenous lore, manuscripts, and core wisdom of the East or the 'Orient'. BORI dedicates its core research framework to the field of Orientology with a progressive global vision: to enlighten the modern world about the all-comprehensive knowledge generated in the East, especially within the Indian subcontinent.
The Institute houses one of the globe's largest and most sought-after literary treasuries. Amassed carefully over a span of 90 years, the archive features more than 1,25,000 rare books covering practically every facet of ancient history, Indology, linguistics, and early oriental sciences.
Preserving over 28,000 rare historical manuscripts, BORI's repository spans several languages and scripts—primarily Sanskrit, Prakrit, regional Indian variants, Classical Asian, and older European languages. Through its landmark research projects on the Mahabharata and Prakrit dialects, it has built invaluable global reference archives.
BORI regularly hosts advanced lectures by international guest scholars under its established Memorial Lectureships. It also acts as an organizational engine for the prestigious All India Oriental Conference (AIOC), alongside multiple academic seminars and deep research symposiums.
The institute publishes its acclaimed peer-reviewed annual journal, ‘Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute’. Its most celebrated monumental publications include the world-renowned Critical Edition of the Mahabharata, detailed Descriptive Catalogues of Manuscripts, and The Prakrit Dictionary.
The Institute proudly hosts a specialized Manuscripts Resource and Conservation Centre under the direct auspices of the National Mission for Manuscripts—a major national preservation project of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
For over nine decades, BORI has effectively served as a cornerstone of Indological studies and classical research. It bridges the gap between historical heritage preservation and modern scientific critique, establishing an immortal presence in global academic scholarship.