On Mahatma Gandhi Road in the heart of Mumbai’s Fort district, the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room stands as one of the city’s most cherished institutions. Built in 1847 and donated to the city by the Sassoon family, it is both a functioning public library and a magnificent piece of Victorian Gothic architecture — and it is one of the most enduring physical contributions of the Baghdadi Jewish community to the life of Bombay.
David Sassoon’s Philanthropic Vision
David Sassoon (1792–1864), the Baghdad-born merchant who founded the Sassoon business empire, was not merely a brilliant businessman. He was a committed philanthropist who believed that the prosperity he had found in Bombay created a responsibility to the city and its people. The library was one of several major philanthropic projects he funded: he also built the Sassoon Docks (completed after his death in 1875), the Sassoon Mechanics Institute, and several synagogues. The library was intended to serve all residents of Bombay regardless of religion or caste, at a time when public libraries were almost nonexistent in India.
The Building
The David Sassoon Library is a two-story structure built in the Victorian Gothic style that was fashionable in Bombay’s civic architecture of the mid-nineteenth century. Its facade features pointed arched windows, decorative stonework, and a wide veranda. Inside, the library holds one of the oldest collections of books in Mumbai, including rare volumes dating to the nineteenth century. A bronze statue of David Sassoon himself stands in the building’s garden, depicted in his traditional Baghdadi Jewish dress — long robes and a turban — rather than in Western clothing, a deliberate statement of his identity.
The Library Today
The David Sassoon Library remains open to members today, operating on a subscription basis. Its collection spans English and vernacular literature, history, science, and religion, and it has been a research resource for scholars studying Bombay’s history for nearly 180 years. Heritage lovers and historians visit regularly, and the building is widely photographed as one of Mumbai’s most distinctive landmarks. Its existence is a daily reminder of the deep roots that the Baghdadi Jewish community put down in Bombay, even as that community itself has almost entirely emigrated.
Source: David Sassoon Library – Wikipedia