Chaurasia - India

What Chaurasia - India does

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland is a London-based learned society and registered UK charity (No. 209629), founded on 15 March 1823 by the Sanskrit scholar Henry Thomas Colebrooke and granted a Royal Charter by King George IV on 11 August 1824. It serves scholars, researchers, students and members of the public interested in the history, languages, cultures and religions of Asia by operating a forum for the exchange of ideas through lectures, cultural events, scholarly publishing, research awards and access to its historic collections of manuscripts, rare books, paintings, photographs and the personal papers of influential Orientalists. The Society is council-governed, has no parent or external ownership, and sustains an international network of eight associated and branch societies spanning India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea, China and Malaysia.

The Society's product surface is organised across four pillars. Academic publishing centres on the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society — published continuously since 1834 in conjunction with Cambridge University Press — augmented by a monograph and translation programme (including the Oriental Translation Fund) and co-publications such as the limited-edition reissue of James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han with Yale University Press. The Digital Library, launched in 2018 at royalasiaticcollections.org, exposes manuscripts, artworks and archives to a worldwide audience using high-resolution photography and computer-graphics workflows capable of reproducing items at approximately 150x original size without loss of resolution. Programming comprises in-person and Zoom lectures (including a Japan Series co-organised with the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures and the Courtauld Institute of Art), paid summer schools such as the four-day Silk Roads course, an annual Collections Evening, and the Bayly Prize, Triennial Gold Medal, Richard Burton Memorial Medal and Universities Prize Essay awards. A fellowship/membership programme provides layered access to collections, events, publications and networking, alongside venue hire of the lecture theatre and council room.

Revenue is generated through five streams: recurring membership and fellowship subscriptions, one-time publication sales (e.g. the Yale re-issue at $1,000 Americas / £850 RoW), transactional fees from paid summer schools (£600 non-residential, with a 12% fellows' discount), venue hire at the London headquarters, and donations and grants from bodies including the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Arts Council England/V&A Purchase Grants Fund, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Barakat Trust, and corporate sponsors. Distribution is hybrid: physical events at 14 Stephenson Way, NW1 2HD and partner venues worldwide, combined with online streaming and recorded lectures on the Society's YouTube channel; collection access combines in-person reading-room visits by appointment with 24/7 online access via the Digital Library.

Name

Chaurasia - India

Legal name

Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland

Website

https://chaurasiasociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1823

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland is a London-based registered charity, founded in 1823, that serves Asian-studies scholars and the public through lectures, scholarly publications, research awards, a digital library of manuscripts and artworks, and a network of Asian associate societies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Fellowship and membership programs providing access to collections, events, and publications. Benefits include access to the reading room, library services, and participation in Society activities.
2. Publications Sales: Sale of scholarly books and monographs including the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (published with Cambridge University Press) and co-published works such as James Tod's Annals with Yale University Press.
3. Summer School Fees: Educational programs such as the Silk Roads summer school at £600 non-residential, including meals and course materials. Fellows receive 12% discount.
4. Venue Hire: The Society's lecture theatre and council room spaces are available for hire, generating revenue from external events and gatherings.
5. Donations and Grants: Support from donors, grant-making bodies, and charitable foundations including National Heritage Memorial Fund, Arts Council England, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, and corporate sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Society provides a forum for those interested in the history, languages, cultures, and religions of Asia to meet and exchange ideas. It organizes lectures and events, awards prizes for outstanding research in Asian Studies, provides access to its historic collections of manuscripts, books and artworks, and publishes scholarly research in its Journal and monographs. A Digital Library launched in 2018 makes these historic collections accessible to a worldwide audience online.

Product overview

The Royal Asiatic Society operates as a single, unified scholarly organization offering a portfolio of educational and research services: the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (published with Cambridge University Press) serves as its flagship academic publication; the Digital Library provides online access to historic collections since 2018; books and monographs are published through the Oriental Translation Fund and co-publishing arrangements; lectures and events including the Japan Series offer public programming; membership provides access to all services; and awards recognize outstanding research in Asian Studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Library Online access platform to historic collections including manuscripts, paintings, photographs, and archives related to Asian history, languages, cultures, and religions.
• Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Scholarly journal published in conjunction with Cambridge University Press, covering all aspects of Asian studies.
• Books and Monographs Scholarly publications including translations of Asian historical works, the Oriental Translation Fund series, and co-published works such as James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han co-published with Yale University Press for the 2023 bicentenary.
• Lectures and Events Regular public lectures, talks, and cultural events including the Japan Series organized jointly with the Sainsbury Institute and the Courtauld Institute, and the annual Collections Evening. Held in-person and online via Zoom with recordings available on YouTube.
• Fellowship and Membership Membership/Fellowship program providing access to collections, library services, reading room, events, publications, and a network of scholars interested in Asian Studies.
• Summer School Programs Educational programs such as The Silk Roads: arts, history and exploration — a 4-day non-residential course with visits to the British Library and Royal Asiatic Society. Priced at £600 non-residential including 3 lunches, tea and coffee; Fellows receive a 12% discount.
• Awards and Prizes Scholarship awards recognizing outstanding research in Asian Studies, including the Bayly Prize, Triennial Gold Medal, Richard Burton Memorial Medal, and Universities Prize Essay competition.
• Collections Access (Reading Room) Physical access to historic collections of manuscripts, Persian manuscripts, Indian paintings, early photographs of Java, personal papers of Orientalists, and artworks at the London headquarters reading room by appointment.
• Venue Hire The Society's lecture theatre and council room spaces at 14 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD are available for hire for external events and gatherings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Digital Library making collections accessible to worldwide audience since 2018

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Asiatic Society (Calcutta)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1823The oldest associate society, founded 1784 by Sir William Jones. The RAS was inspired by this society when Henry Thomas Colebrooke, former President of the Asiatick Society of Bengal, returned to London and wished to create a similar society focusing on all of Asia.
• The Asiatic Society of MumbaicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate society promoting Asian Studies, founded 1804.
• The Sri Lanka Branch of the Royal Asiatic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch society promoting Asian Studies in Sri Lanka, founded 1845.
• The Korean Branch of the Royal Asiatic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch society promoting Asian Studies in Korea, founded 1900.
• The Royal Asiatic Society China (Shanghai)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch society in China established 2007.
• The Royal Asiatic Society China (Beijing)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch society in Beijing established 2013.
• The Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBranch society in Malaysia founded 1877.
• The Asiatic Society of JapancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate society founded 1872.
• Cambridge University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing publishing partner for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, published since 1834.
• Yale University PresscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-publisher of the limited edition re-issue of James Tod's Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han with Companion Volume, released December 2023 for the bicentenary.
• Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and CulturesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for the Japan Series of Lectures, organized jointly with the Courtauld Institute and Sainsbury Institute.
• The Courtauld Institute of ArtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for the Japan Series of Lectures, organized jointly with the Courtauld Institute and Sainsbury Institute.
• Maharana of Mewar Charitable FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonor of exhibition catalogue 'Picturing Place: Painted and Printed Maps at the Udaipur Court' and partner in initiatives related to the Battle of Haldighati exhibition commemorating the 450th anniversary in 2026.
• Indian Art CircleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for lecture series hosting at SOAS.
• Levantine Heritage FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint event co-host for lectures on Armenian merchants and Levantine history.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Royal Geographical Society: A UK learned society (founded 1830) with Royal Charter that similarly combines a heritage library/collection, membership model, lectures, publications, and venue hire. Comparability is strong on structure, governance, and revenue mix, though the discipline is geography rather than Asian Studies.
• Asiatic Society of Mumbai: Founded in 1804, an affiliated Asian learned society operating a library, museum, journal, lectures, and membership from Mumbai. Compares directly on Asian Studies remit, archival collections, and member-based scholarly programme.
• Royal Society of Edinburgh: A Royal Charter learned society operating as a registered charity with membership, lectures, publications, and a library/archive. Same institutional archetype as RAS, focused on knowledge dissemination and fellowship rather than degree-granting.
• Royal Historical Society: A Royal Charter UK learned society for historians offering fellowship, the Transactions journal, research grants, and lectures. Closely comparable in scale, governance, and the scholar-membership-publication operating model.
• The Chester Beatty: A Dublin-based charitable institution housing world-class Asian manuscript, miniature, and religious art collections, with free public access, exhibitions, lectures, and a published scholarly programme. Closely comparable on Asian collection stewardship, charitable governance, and scholarly/public programming.
• The British Academy: The UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences, structured as a Royal Charter learned society with fellowship, publications, lectures, and grant-making. Direct institutional peer for membership, scholarly publishing, and grant-funded programming in the humanities.
• Royal Society of Asian Affairs: A UK-based learned society focused on Asian affairs offering lectures, the journal Asian Affairs (with Routledge), and membership. Directly comparable on subject matter (Asia), scale, and member-learner-publication operating model.
• The Asiatic Society (Kolkata): Founded in 1784 by Sir William Jones, this is the Society's oldest affiliate and the original inspiration for the RAS. It runs an Asian-focused library, museum, journal (Journal of the Asiatic Society), lectures, and membership — directly comparable remit, scope, and operating model.

Broad incumbents

• British Library: The UK's national library, with major Asian manuscript and archive holdings, exhibitions, lectures, and ticketed reading-room access. Overlaps strongly with the RAS's collection, public programming, and researcher-services role, but at vastly larger scale and with statutory rather than charity funding.
• School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS): A specialist humanities university focused on Asia and Africa with a research library, public lectures, exhibitions, and publishing. Overlaps strongly on Asian Studies subject matter and event programming (the RAS co-hosts events at SOAS), but SOAS operates as a degree-granting higher education institution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ras_soc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@royalasiaticsocietyofgreat3084
• Facebookfacebook.com/RoyalAsiaticSoc
• Instagraminstagram.com/royalasiaticsociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chaurasia---india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Chaurasia - India