The Government of India has unveiled an ambitious initiative under its National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), now renamed as the Gyan Bharatam Mission, to preserve, document, and disseminate the country’s unparalleled manuscript heritage. As part of a Central Sector Scheme for the period 2024–31, a total budget of 4.83 billion rupees has been allocated to achieve its objectives, which focus on safeguarding India’s invaluable textual traditions while ensuring accessibility and fostering research.
The Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to conduct a nationwide survey and registration of manuscripts, creating a comprehensive record of India’s manuscript wealth. This encompasses scientific conservation and preventive preservation across repositories nationwide. A key feature of this initiative is the large-scale digitization of manuscripts to develop a National Digital Manuscripts Library, which will ensure greater accessibility for scholars, students, and the general public. Efforts are also being made to edit, translate, and publish rare and previously unpublished manuscripts to encourage scholarly research.
To support this endeavor, the mission includes extensive capacity-building measures. Training programs in manuscriptology, paleography, and conservation are being organized to cultivate a new generation of specialists in the field. Additionally, exhibitions, seminars, and cultural programs are being conducted to raise public awareness about the manuscript heritage of India. Collaborations with academic institutions and industry leaders are playing a crucial role in the execution of these activities.
The National Mission for Manuscripts has already achieved significant milestones in manuscript conservation and accessibility. Over the years, partnerships with institutions such as Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Varanasi have been instrumental in advancing the mission’s objectives, particularly in Uttar Pradesh. Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs) and Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs) have been established in reputed institutions across the state. These initiatives have resulted in the documentation of over 5.2 million manuscripts nationwide, with a substantial contribution from Uttar Pradesh alone. Special projects have also focused on preserving rare Sanskrit, Persian, and Arabic manuscripts from various libraries in the region.
Digitization has been a cornerstone of the mission’s strategy to make India’s manuscript wealth accessible to a broader audience. So far, approximately 350,000 manuscripts, covering over 35 million folios, have been digitized. Among these, over 135,000 manuscripts have been uploaded on the web portal namami.gov.in, with 76,000 made freely accessible to the public. The mission has identified rare and fragile manuscripts as priorities for digitization, ensuring their long-term preservation and usability.
Looking ahead, the Government is working to expand the scope and reach of the Gyan Bharatam Mission. This includes collaborations with academic institutions, private collectors, and research organizations to accelerate the digitization and dissemination of manuscripts. Partnerships with universities are being strengthened to promote the academic study of manuscripts. Regular exhibitions, workshops, and manuscript festivals are being organized to engage scholars and the public alike. These efforts aim to create a robust pool of new manuscriptologists and preservation experts.
Through the Gyan Bharatam Mission, India continues to demonstrate its commitment to preserving its manuscript legacy. By leveraging technology and fostering international collaborations, the Government seeks to ensure that the manuscript heritage of India not only endures but thrives as an active resource for academic, cultural, and historical research. With its comprehensive and visionary approach, the Gyan Bharatam Mission is set to transform the landscape of manuscript preservation and access in India, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity.
