The library is housed in a two-story building known as the Library Building, which contains sixteen research cubicles with two large rooms on either side. Presently, the library includes over 52,500 books, important journals and a rare manuscript collection. To develop the library donations and purchases were made from the Late Rash Bihari Mukherjee, from Hoogly, West Bengal; Prof. (Dr.) Nalinaksh Datta, former University Professor and Head of the Department of Pali, University of Calcutta; and Prof. (Dr.) K. Venkat Ramanan, Director, Cheena Bhavan, Santiniketan, West Bengal.
Books comprising the Wheaton Loan Collection given by the U.S. Government are also an important donation, consisting of valuable dictionaries, encyclopaedias, journals and other reference books, a good collection of books on modern thought, including books on psychology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, sociology, and cultural anthropology.
Myanmar (Burma), Sri Lanka, Thailand and Kampuchia (Cambodia), Japan and South Korea donated complete sets of the Tipitaka published in their respective scripts, and other miscellaneous works to the Mahavihara. A complete set of the Chinese Tripitaka and other miscellaneous works presented by the Peoples' Republic of China, a complete set of Kanjur and Tanjur donated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a complete set of the Tibetan Tripitaka (Peking edition) with its catalogue, Derge and Lhasa editions of Kanjur and Derge as well as s-Nar-thang editions of Tanjur are also invaluable treasures in the library of the Mahavihara. Bearing in mind the current trends in research, the library of the Mahavihara subscribes to research journals and periodicals related to Indology and Buddhist learning.
The Mahavihara also houses a collection of Manuscripts. Currently, planning is going on to catalogue these manuscripts and rare book collection. The process of computerization of the Library has already started and is in progress. Adequate facilities for library work are available.
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