| Gita Press | |
| Status: | Active |
| Founder: | Jay Dayal Goyanka Ghanshyam Das Jalan |
| Headquarters: | Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh |
| Distribution: | Worldwide |
| Publications: | Hindu Religious Books and Kalyan Masik |
| Topics: | Hinduism |
| Numemployees: | 350 |
Gita Press is an Indian books publishing company, headquartered in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.[1] It is the world's largest publisher of Hindu religious texts. It was founded in 1923 by Jaya Dayal Goyanka and Ghanshyam Das Jalan for promoting the principles of Hinduism. Hanuman Prasad Poddar better known as "Bhaiji" was the founding and the lifetime editor of its noted magazine who also wrote articles with his pen name Kalyan.[2]
It started publishing in 1927, with a circulation of 1,600 copies and at present its print order had reached 250,000 (in 2012). The Gita Press archives contain over 3,500 manuscripts including over 100 interpretations of the Bhagavad Gita.[3]
Seth Jaya Dayal Goyanka, Shri Hanuman Prasad Poddar and Shri Ghanshyam Das Jalan, Gita preachers set up the Gita Press on 29 April 1923, as a unit of Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 (presently governed by the West Bengal Societies Act, 1960). Five months later it acquired its first printing machine for Rs 600. Since its establishment, the Gita Press has published more than 140 million copies of the Gita and 100 million copies of the Ramcharitamanas, at subsidized prices.[4] Gita Press completed its hundred years in 2022. Former President Ram Nath Kovind had started its centenary celebrations on 4th May 2022. Prime minister Narendra Modi also congratulated in 2023. [5] On 18 June 2023, Gita Press was conferred with the Gandhi Peace Prize of 2021, by the Government of India.[6]
It temporarily shut down in December 2014 over wage issues, [7] but work resumed a few days later.[8]
Neither of these magazines runs any advertisements.
These texts are published in Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, English, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Bengali, Oriya and other languages of India.
Gita Press has the branches and stalls in following locations. Most of the stalls are operated in railway platforms except Churu and Nadiyad. Churu has a stall near Rishikul Brahmacharyashram vedic school and Nadiyad has a stall near Santram Temple.
| Branches | State | Address | Stall Operations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24/2/10, Chowk Ayodhya Road, Sai Nagar, Chowk Ayodhya Road, Sai Nagar, Ayodhya – 224123 | NIL | |||
| 7/3, 2nd Cross, Lalbagh Road, Bangalore – 560027 | Bangalore, Yashwantpur, SSPN, Hubli | |||
| Gita Press Mansion 8/1 M, Racecourse, Coimbatore – 641018 | NIL | |||
| G-7, Aakar Tower, C Block, Opp. Harsh Palace, Gandhi Nagar, Bhilwara – 311001 | NIL | |||
| Bharatiya Towers, Badam Badi, Cuttack – 753009 | Cuttack, Bhubanshwar | |||
| 2609, Nayi Sarak, Delhi – 110006 | Delhi, Nijamuddin, New Delhi, Bikaner, Churu | |||
| Gita Bhavan, P.O. Swargashram, Rishikesh – 249304 | NIL | |||
| Sabjimandi, Motibazar, Haridwar – 249401 | Haridwar | |||
| 41, 4-4-1, Dilshad Plaza, Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad – 500095 | Secunderabad, Vijaywada | |||
| G-5, Shree Vardhan, 4 R.N.T. Marg, Indore – 452001 | Indore | |||
| 7, Bhim Singh Market, Near Railway Station, Jalgaon – 425001 | Aurangabad | |||
| 24/55, Birhana Road, Kanpur – 208001 | Kanpur, Lucknow, Kota | |||
| 151, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata – 700007 | Kolkata, Sealdah, Howrah, Dhanbad, Kharagpur | |||
| 282, Samaldas Gandhi Marg (Princess Street), Near Marine Lines Station, Mumbai – 400002 | NIL | |||
| Shriji Kripa Complex, 851, New Etawari Road, Nagpur – 440002 | Gondia | |||
| Ashok Rajpath, Opposite Women's Hospital, Patna – 800004 | Patna | |||
| Shop No. 3, Ruchi Apartment, Near Sai Service Station, Pulachiwadi, JM Road, Pune – 411004 | NIL | |||
| Mittal Complex, Ganjpara, Telghani Chowk, Raipur – 492009 | Raipur | |||
| Cart Sarai Road, Upper Bazar, First Floor Birla Gaddi, Ranchi – 834001 | Ranchi | |||
| Vaibhav Apartment, Opposite Nutan Niwas, Bhatar Road, Surat – 395001 | Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bharuch, Nadiyad | |||
| 59/9, Nichibag, Varanasi – 221001 | Mughal Sarai | |||
| Electro House No. 23, Ramnathan Street, Kilpauk, Chennai – 600010 | NIL | |||
| Gita Press, P.O. Gita Press, Gorakhpur – 273005 | Chapra, Siwan, Muzaffapur, Gorakhpur, Gondia, Jabalpur, Samastipur |
The Art Gallery has the lilas (works or plays) of Shri Rama and Shri Krishna portrayed in 684 paintings by famed artists of the past and present. Other paintings, including Mewari style paintings of the Shri Krishna Lila are also on exhibit. The entire 700 verses of the Bhagvad Gita are displayed on marble plaques affixed to the walls.
The Gita Press is part of the Govind Bhawan Karyalaya, Kolkata.
Other affiliated institutions are: