Rangpur Pubic Library

Rangpur Pubic Library the oldest cultural institution of the district, was founded in 1832 by the Kundi zamindars. Rajmohan Roychowdhury (1786-1847) donated funds to meet the full cost of its establishment. Later, Ramani Mohan Roychowdhury (1860-87) of Tushbhander and Mahima Ranjan Roychowdhury (1852-1909) of Kakina became patrons of the library. It collected and preserved a large number of books, manuscripts, puthis, inscriptions and archaeological relics. Its valuable collections were lost party due to the damage caused by an earthquake in 1897 and partly by a fire in 1903.
In 1906-7, the library was amalgamated with the newly created Rangpur Shahitya Parishad (Literature Council) founded by Surendra Chandra Roychowdhury of Kundi and other zamindars of the district. In 1912, it began to function as an independent institution after the construction of the Edward Memorial Hall on a piece of land donated by Kakina zamindar Raja Mahima Ranjan Roychowdhury in the heart of the town. The library was taken over by the government of India in 1935. It suffered damage in 1971 during the war of liberation. The historic Rangpur Public Library lost support from both philanthropists and the government and finally, in 1991, it was closed down after the establishment of a new public library in the same premises.