There’s a lot of history between these covers. The assortment of uncommon books at Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute has been augmented by two identical gems — copies of the German translation of Rig Veda by Friedrich Max Muller, published in 1856. The rare printed copies have significant value, as till that time generations had learnt the vedas through recital.

Rread the fine print: According to a librarian at the institute, the introduction to this rare book contains text and translation of the oldest phonetics. It is dedicated to Dr Hermann Brockhans by Max Muller, stating that the author got his first lessons in Sanskrit from him. Pics/Krunal Gosavi