INDIA, April 19, 2021 (Hinduism Today, by Tirtho Bannerji): The most ubiquitous books found in Hindu households throughout India are the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Ramcharitmanas, often side by side with the booklet Hanuman Chalisa. A majority of these come from Gita Press in Gorakhpur. Why is that? Their nominal price is a key reason, but it’s also because of their impeccable content, easy-to-grasp language, nicely laid-out text and top-quality printing. In two years, on April 29, 2023, Gita Press–Hinduism’s largest printer, publisher and distributor of religious literature–will turn 100. But the company continues to plod on unassumingly, without making noise about its huge body of work and incredible achievements.
By March 2019, Gita Press had produced 141.3 million copies of Bhagavad Gita in various editions, 108.7 million copies of the Ramcharitmanas plus other works by Goswami Tulsidas; 25.2 million copies of the Puranas and Upanishads , five million copies of Hanuman Chalisa, 198.6 million copies of small books, especially for children and the less educated; and 160 million copies of scripture-based booklets, pamphlets and texts on topics related to spiritual growth. “Since its inception, Gita Press has published over 700 million books,” states Dr. Lal Mani Tiwari, the production manager. Gita Press was founded April 29, 1923, to propagate and protect Sanatana Dharma. It was a time when religious conversions were peaking and India was in the grip of the British regime. Jaya Dayal Goyandka, Ghanshyam Das Jalan and Hanuman Prasad Poddar joined hands to establish the press for spiritual reawakening and moral righteousness. Readers of the publications unanimously believe no other institution in the world has done such yeoman service to promote Hindu philosophy and culture.
Much more on the history and current workings of the Gita Press at “source” above.