Pilgrims Publishing
Pilgrims Publishing is the publishing imprint of Pilgrims Book House, a bookselling and publishing business founded in Kathmandu and later headquartered in Varanasi.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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History
Pilgrims Book House was founded in Kathmandu in 1984 by Puspa and Rama Nand Tiwari. The founders had previously operated a book business in Varanasi, and the Kathmandu company developed from that earlier commercial experience. From its beginning, the business served readers interested in the religious, cultural, historical, linguistic, and geographical traditions of India, Nepal, Tibet, and Central Asia. The company expanded beyond Nepal during the 1990s. In 1999 it opened a branch in Varanasi, India, followed by a Delhi branch in 2006. Varanasi later became the company's headquarters. The retail business was complemented by publishing, distribution, online sales, and a rare-books operation. Books were issued under the Book Faith India imprint for a period and later under the Pilgrims Publishing name. The Thamel bookstore became the most visible part of the business. Located in a major tourist and trekking district of Kathmandu, it developed a large inventory and was widely mentioned by travel-oriented publications. At its height, the shop displayed hundreds of thousands of books and was described as one of the largest bookstores in Asia. Its selection made it a destination for books on Buddhism, Hinduism, yoga, mountaineering, Himalayan travel, languages, and regional history. On 16 May 2013, the Thamel branch suffered a major fire. Almost everything inside was destroyed. The fire was a severe operational and cultural loss because the shop's identity depended on both its extensive inventory and its location in Kathmandu's principal visitor district. The company nevertheless continued trading. After the incident, it operated a shop on JP Road in Thamel and another at Durgakund in Varanasi, while maintaining online channels for its bookstore and publishing activities. Pilgrims' publishing programme includes more than 1,700 titles according to the supplied reference material. It combines original publications with reprints and editions of older works that may be difficult to obtain through mainstream commercial publishers. Its subjects include Buddhist texts and scholarship, Hinduism, yoga, esoteric traditions, mountaineering, Nepalese and Indian history, regional literature, languages, children's books, folklore, and visual culture. The catalogue includes works by or concerning authors such as Paul Brunton, W. Y. Evans-Wentz, B. P. Koirala, Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, A. P. Sinnett, H. W. Tilman, and others. The company also organizes its list into recurring series, including the Everest Series, Pilgrims Astrology Series, Pilgrims Colouring Book Series, Pilgrims Folk Tales, Pilgrims Health Series, Pilgrims Pocket Series or Pilgrims Pocket Classics, and Pilgrims Quotation Series. These series reflect the company's broad but coherent focus on accessible specialist literature, travel-related knowledge, traditional culture, spirituality, and compact reference books. The coronavirus pandemic produced a trading downturn lasting roughly two years. The supplied source material reports that business began to improve in 2022. No detailed current financial results, ownership disclosures, or formal executive roster are available in the supplied references. Pilgrims Book House and Pilgrims Publishing are therefore best understood as an active independent bookstore-publisher whose importance rests on its regional specialization, multilingual catalogue, reprint programme, and long association with Kathmandu and Varanasi.
- 2022
Trading recovery follows pandemic downturn
[1]After roughly two years of weaker trading during the coronavirus period, the business begins to recover.
- 2013
Thamel bookstore fire
[1]A fire on 16 May severely damages the Kathmandu flagship and destroys almost all of its stock.
- 2006
Delhi branch opens
[1]A second Indian branch is opened in Delhi.
- 1999
Varanasi branch opens
[1]The company opens a branch in Varanasi, India, strengthening its cross-border retail and publishing presence.
- 1984
Pilgrims Book House is established in Kathmandu
[1]Puspa and Rama Nand Tiwari establish the bookstore and publishing business in Kathmandu, building on an earlier Tiwari book business in Varanasi.
Products and positioning
An independent specialist publisher and bookseller focused on South Asian, Himalayan, religious, spiritual, linguistic, historical, and mountaineering literature, with a strong emphasis on reprints and hard-to-find regional works.
Book publishing
Pilgrims Publishing catalogue
The main publishing imprint covers Buddhism, Hinduism, yoga, spirituality, mountaineering, Himalayan travel, South Asian history, languages, children's literature, folklore, and regional culture. It combines new publications with reprints of classic and specialist works relating to India, Nepal, Tibet, and Central Asia.
Pocket books and classics
Pilgrims Pocket Series
A compact-format series, also referred to as Pilgrims Pocket Classics, intended to make selected literary, cultural, religious, and reference works available in portable editions.
Mountaineering and Himalayan literature
Everest Series
A series focused on Everest, Himalayan exploration, mountaineering history, expedition accounts, and related regional subjects. One representative title is H. W. Tilman's Mount Everest 1938.
Colouring and illustrated books
Pilgrims Colouring Book Series
An illustrated series that includes cultural and religious imagery, such as the Thangka Coloring Book, connecting leisure publishing with Himalayan and South Asian visual traditions.
Language learning and phrasebooks
Language books
The catalogue includes language-learning and reference books involving Nepali, Tibetan, Hindi, and other regional languages. Hindi Phrasebook: A Pilgrims Key to Hindi is one representative publication.
Book retail · 1984
Pilgrims Book House bookstores
The retail division sells the company's own publications alongside books from other publishers. Its specialist stores in Kathmandu and Varanasi serve readers, researchers, travellers, pilgrims, and collectors seeking South Asian and Himalayan material.
Rare and antiquarian books
Rare books department
A specialist department devoted to rare or harder-to-find books, extending the business beyond ordinary retail and supporting its role as a research-oriented bookseller.
Brand decisions
2013
Post-fire continuation of Kathmandu operationsOtherBackground
The Thamel flagship was almost completely destroyed by fire on 16 May 2013.
Action taken
The company continued operating in Kathmandu from a JP Road, Thamel location while also maintaining its Varanasi shop.
Aftermath
The business survived the loss of its original flagship and continued its bookstore, publishing, online, and rare-book activities.
2006
Delhi expansionStrategyBackground
Following the establishment of the Varanasi branch, the company continued expanding its Indian retail footprint.
Action taken
Pilgrims opened a second Indian branch in Delhi.
Aftermath
The company gained an additional presence in one of India's largest book markets.
1999
Expansion into VaranasiStrategyBackground
The company had roots in a previous Tiwari book business in Varanasi and sought to develop a stronger Indian operating base.
Action taken
Pilgrims opened a Varanasi branch, which later became the company's headquarters.
Aftermath
The move helped establish the business as a cross-border Nepal-India bookseller and publisher.
Recent events
- 2022
Pilgrims business begins recovering after pandemic downturn[1]
Other
After approximately two years of weaker trading during the coronavirus pandemic, business activity was reported to have started improving.
- 2013
Fire severely damages Pilgrims Book House in Thamel[1]
Other
A fire at the company's long-established Thamel bookstore destroyed almost the entire stock and forced the business to continue from smaller or rebuilt operations.
Sources2 sources
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