Fort William College, established in 1800 in Calcutta (now Kolkata) by the British, was a significant institution in the history of Indian studies during the British colonial period in India. Its establishment was influenced by the need for British administrators to learn Indian languages and later the college became a center for the study and translation of Indian texts, including ancient Hindu religious texts, historical documents, and literary works. Numerous volumes were translated from Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Bengali, Hindi, and Urdu languages into English. Some books from the College library of Fort William were transferred to the School of Oriental Languages in Paris and are now held at BULAC.