Mythic Society

What Mythic Society does

The Mythic Society is a non-profit scholarly society and reference library founded in 1909 in Bengaluru, India, dedicated to Indology, history, archaeology, epigraphy, folklore, and culture. It serves academic scholars, researchers, students, and general readers through three core offerings: a reference library of approximately 46,000 books (including ~1,600 Sanskrit, ~11,000 Kannada, and ~24,000 English volumes) plus over 10,000 back-issue journal volumes and 60 research journals; the Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (QJMS), published continuously since 1910 and currently at Volume 117 Issue 1; and a catalog of scholarly books and monographs covering Indian history, archaeology, philosophy, art, and architecture. The society also operates the M.H. Krishna Institute of Indology (founded 1999, affiliated to Bangalore University) and maintains the N.G. Pavanje Art Gallery (inaugurated 2012).

Revenue is generated primarily through unit-priced sales of physical books (Rs.18 to Rs.3,999) and QJMS hardcopies (Rs.250), individual article sales (Rs.10), annual QJMS subscriptions (Rs.800), and nominal library access fees; distribution is direct via the society's own e-commerce website (mythicsociety.org) with Indian Speed Post domestic delivery and limited international shipping. Its go-to-market is community-led — lectures, seminars, free downloadable publications, and academic reputation — with no third-party distribution or paid sales force. The society's go-to-market is entirely grassroots, relying on academic credibility rather than commercial outreach.

The society's notable technical capability lies in heritage digitization: the Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project uses handheld 3D scanners and triangulation-based algorithms to produce micron-accurate digital models of ancient stone inscriptions (175 documented in Bengaluru, ~1,200 in district), and a parallel Manuscripts Conservation and Digitisation Project applies scientific methods to over 12,000 palm leaf manuscripts (1.2 million+ folios) at the Oriental Research Institute, Mysore University. Beyond digital scanning, there are no core software products, APIs, or AI/ML platforms disclosed. Headcount is approximately 10 individuals across library staff and a small research unit (Senior Research Associates and a Research Assistant); there is no venture capital, private equity, or parent-company ownership, and the society is governed by a Management Committee.

Name

Mythic Society

Legal name

The Mythic Society

Website

https://mythicsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mythic Society is a Bengaluru-based non-profit scholarly society and reference library founded in 1909, serving academic researchers with a 46,000-book collection, the continuously published Quarterly Journal (since 1910), scholarly book publications, and 3D digitization of ancient stone inscriptions and palm leaf manuscripts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scholarly Society and Research Library

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Libraries and Archives (51921), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Academic publishing services
• Scholarly journal publication
• Heritage digitization projects
• Research library services
• Indological studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sales of Books and Publications: The Mythic Society publishes and sells books on history, archaeology, Indology, and related subjects. Books range from Rs.18 to Rs.3,999. Latest publications include 'Early Historic Bhon' (Rs.1500, 2025), 'Ajanta to Angkor Wat' (Rs.600, 2024), and 'Prehistory of South Asia' (Rs.300, 2024). Books are available through the website with e-commerce ordering and Indian Speed Post shipping.
2. Sales of Journals and Articles: The society sells its Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (QJMS), available as hardcopy (Rs.250 for Vol.117 Iss.1) and individual articles (Rs.10 per article). Journal subscriptions are available for Rs.800. The QJMS has been published continuously since 1910, with Volume 117 Issue 1 published in 2026.
3. Library and Research Services: The society operates a reference library with about 46,000 books, over 10,000 journal volumes, and 60 research journals, open to scholars and researchers. The library charges nominal membership or usage fees. It also digitizes its collection as part of expansion efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Mythic Society is a non-profit scholarly society that operates a reference library of approximately 46,000 books on Indian history, culture, and Indology, and publishes academic books, the Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (QJMS), and individual journal articles. It also conducts heritage digitization projects including 3D scanning of ancient stone inscriptions and conservation of palm leaf manuscripts, hosts scholarly lectures and seminars, and maintains an art gallery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (QJMS): The society's flagship academic journal publishing articles on archaeology, anthropology, art, architecture, ethnology, folklore, history, mythology, religion, and allied subjects. The journal has been published continuously since 1909.
• M.H. Krishna Institute of Indology
• Bengaluru Inscriptions 3D Digital Conservation Project
• Manuscripts Conservation and Digitisation Project

Products and services

• Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society (QJMS) Peer-reviewed academic journal publishing articles on Archaeology, Anthropology, Art, Architecture, Ethnology, Folklore, History, Mythology, Religion, and allied subjects. Sold as hardcopy at Rs.250 per issue to scholars, researchers, and institutional libraries.
• QJMS Annual Subscription Annual subscription to the Quarterly Journal of the Mythic Society priced at Rs.800, providing institutional and individual subscribers with continuous access to all QJMS issues for the subscription year.
• Individual Journal Articles Individual scholarly articles from the QJMS sold at Rs.10 per article as softcopies, allowing researchers to purchase specific papers of interest without buying entire journal issues.
• Mythic Society Books and Publications Books and monographs published by the Mythic Society on Indian history, archaeology, culture, philosophy, religion, art, and architecture, sold at prices ranging from Rs.18 to Rs.3,999. Recent titles include 'Early Historic Bhon', 'Ajanta to Angkor Wat', 'Prehistory of South Asia', and 'Kukke Subrahmanya'.
• Mythic Society Reference Library Access In-person reference library services at the Bengaluru headquarters providing access to approximately 46,000 books (including 1,600 Sanskrit, 11,000 Kannada, and 24,000 English volumes), 10,000+ journal back volumes, and 60 research journals. Library operates Tuesday to Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:15 PM and Sunday 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, accommodating about 30 readers/researchers simultaneously.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 175 stone inscriptions documented in Bengaluru city; 30 already 3D digitally scanned as of the project commencement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Royal Asiatic Society (Calcutta)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mythic Society became a member of the Royal Asiatic Society in Calcutta, which enabled the society to receive the Royal Asiatic Society's publications, as well as research journals and books from other institutions. This membership affiliation dates to the early period of the society's establishment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla: IIAS Shimla is an advanced humanities research institute in India hosting scholars and publishing research — comparable to Mythic Society in its humanities/Indology research mission and scholarly publishing activities.
• Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland: The Royal Asiatic Society is the parent-style international scholarly society of which Mythic Society is a Calcutta branch member. It maintains a research library, publishes the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, and supports Indological and Asian studies research worldwide.
• American Oriental Society: The American Oriental Society is a scholarly association founded in 1842 that publishes the Journal of the American Oriental Society and supports research on the languages, literatures, and civilizations of Asia — comparable as a peer-reviewed Indological scholarly society publisher.
• Oriental Research Institute, Mysore University: ORI at Mysore University is the repository housing the 12,000+ palm leaf manuscripts that Mythic Society is digitizing; it is itself a peer institution with comparable manuscript conservation and scholarly research outputs.
• Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute: Deccan College in Pune is a postgraduate research institute focused on archaeology, linguistics, and Indology, with academic journal publishing and manuscript collections — directly comparable as a research and scholarly publishing institution in similar subject domains.
• Adyar Library and Research Centre: Adyar Library is a Chennai-based Indological research library and publisher with rare Sanskrit and Tamil manuscript collections, comparable to Mythic Society in its library curation, Indological focus, and scholarly publishing.
• Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI): BORI is a Pune-based Indological research institute with a renowned Sanskrit manuscript collection, peer-reviewed journal publishing, and postdoctoral research programs — directly comparable to Mythic Society in its Indology library, manuscript work, and scholarly publishing.
• Asiatic Society (Kolkata): The Asiatic Society, Kolkata is one of India's oldest scholarly societies (founded 1784), maintaining a research library, publishing learned journals, and conducting humanities and historical research — directly comparable as a scholarly society and academic publisher in the same domain.

Broad incumbents

• Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA): IGNCA is a national-level Indian government institution for arts, culture, and heritage research with extensive manuscript collections and publications — a broader incumbent with overlapping mandate in cultural heritage and academic publishing.
• Archaeological Survey of India (ASI): ASI is India's national heritage authority managing monuments, archaeological excavations, and heritage publications — Mythic Society has previously collaborated with ASI on the 2003 Barakur excavation project, making it a comparable and partner-adjacent institution.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mythicsociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/The.Mythic.Society.1909
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mythic-society---india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mythic Society