The Nepal National Library was established by His Majesty’s Government in January 1957 (Poush 2013 BS). The core collection was the personal library of Rajguru Hem Raj Pandey, spiritual advisor to the King, which had been purchased for the nation in 1956. The collection was moved to SikriDhoka, a building within the complex of Singha Durbar, a Rana Palace modeled on Versailles, and said to be the largest in Asia at the time. Singha Durbar was also the home of the Central Secretariat Library, with which the Nepal National Library was merged. At that time the total collection numbered 34,292 books and periodicals.