"Nirnayasagara"

[Toke Lindegaard Knudsen]

Dear Dr. Deshpande,

> Does anyone has any clue as to why the famous printing
> press in Bombay was named Nir.nayasaagara?  A variation on
> the title of Nir.nayasindhu, one of their prominent (early
> best-selling ?) publication?

Considering that there was a tradition that new publishers would make a statement of what types of texts they would publish, asking for people to subscribe (to fund the continued publications), etc., it may be worthwhile to see if such a statement is to be found in any of the first publications of Nirnayasagara Press.  If so--but not necessarily, of course--the history of the name may be explained there.

As far as I know, Nirnayasagara Press' first publication was published in 1886, but the oldest available publication available to me is from 1889 and it does not include any such statement.

Regarding Nirnayasindhu, then according to the India Office Library's catalogue of Sanskrit books, the Nirnayasagara Press edition was published in 1905, a fair while after the press' first publication.  So there may not be a connection between the two names.

Sincerely,
Toke Lindegaard Knudsen