Welcome to the virtual tour of Musafir Memorial Central State Library. Explore the heritage, architecture and treasures of the MM Central State Library through this virtual experience. Follow the instructions below to take the tour.
About
The Musafir Memorial Central State library was established in 1955 by the government of PEPSU as the Central Public Library and it was opened to the public on 23rd July 1956. In 1956, when PEPSU was merged with Punjab State, the library became State Library for the areas covered by the erstwhile PEPSU State, while the Central State Library, Chandigarh covered the old Punjab areas. On the reorganisation of the State of Punjab on 1 November 1966 , the Chandigarh Library became the State Library of Union Territory of Chandigarh and this library became the Central State Library of the reorganized Punjab. In 1978 , the library was renamed as Musafir Memorial Central State Library in honour of late Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir, the 5th Chief Minister of Punjab. He was also a freedom fighter, Jathedar of Akal Takht, Member of Parliament, and a Sahitya Akademi Award winner.[1]
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start your tour by following the route mentioned on this website in each section from the Virtual Tour page or Home page.
At each stop in the library - Entrance, Reading Hall, Lending Section, Manuscript Hall, Lecture Hall, Children's Section, Auditorium - look for the QR code sticker.
Scan the numbered QR code at each Pause Point using your smartphone camera.
Each QR code is colour-coded according to the VIBGYOR theme, helping you stay on track:
For example:
Foyer – Violet
Reading Hall – Indigo
Lending Section - Blue
The code will open a virtual view and information page for that section, including images, videos, and stories about its history and collections.
Continue along the route, scanning each code in numbered/ colour-coded sequence to complete your virtual walk through the library.
For audio narration, click the corresponding spotify link on the right:
Happy walking!
To start the walk, scan the QR code similar to the one shown here of the first Pause Point - Entrance/ Foyer in the entrance area
This digital resource has been developed by Patiala Foundation under its iHERITAGE Initiative for the Mega Heritage Walk at Central State Library, Patiala, held on 9th November 2025. It was unveiled by Smt. Anindita Mitra, IAS, Administrative Secretary, Department of Higher Education and Languages, Government of Punjab.
For more information, visit www.patialafoundation.org/iheritage