Gyan Bharatam to preserve, digitise & disseminate manuscript heritage 

Team L&M

The Ministry of Culture is all set to launch the ‘Gyan Bharatam’, a landmark national initiative dedicated to preserving, digitising, and disseminating India’s manuscript heritage. To mark this occasion, it began the first-ever three-day Gyan Bharatam International Conference today. The conference titled ‘Reclaiming India’s Knowledge Legacy through Manuscript Heritage’, began at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. It brings together over 1,100 participants, including scholars, experts, institutions, and cultural practitioners from across the country and abroad.

It aims to create a platform for discussion, deliberation, and shaping the way forward in preserving, digitising, and sharing manuscript heritage with the world.

Visionary National Movement

The ‘Gyan Bharatam’ will be launched as a visionary national movement dedicated to safeguarding and disseminating India’s vast manuscript wealth. It will serve as a tribute to the nation’s civilisational roots and a step towards realising Viksit Bharat by 2047. A Bharat which is a true Vishwa Guru, combining the wisdom of its past with the innovation of its future. Designed as a comprehensive framework, ‘Gyan Bharatam’ will revive India’s manuscript legacy by combining preservation, digitisation, scholarship, and global accessibility. Its objectives include identification and documentation through a nationwide register, and conservation and restoration of fragile texts. It will include large-scale digitisation using AI-driven tools, and creation of a National Digital Repository. It will also focus on research, translation, and publication of rare manuscripts, capacity building for scholars and conservators, development of digital platforms, and public participation through collaborative programmes. Further, global partnerships and the integration of manuscript wisdom into education will strengthen India’s role in global knowledge exchange.

Preserving India’s Manuscript Heritage

“This is a major scheme for preserving India’s manuscript heritage. The Mission will undertake a nationwide survey and cataloguing of manuscripts, creation of a digital repository, and develop mechanisms to extract and disseminate the vast knowledge preserved in them, covering subjects ranging from science and medicine to literature, religion, and spirituality,” says Vivek Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

“It will be implemented through a broad alliance of stakeholders, including libraries, religious institutions, and private custodians, ensuring manuscripts are preserved and made accessible for generations to come,” he adds.

Emphasising the role of technology, Agarwal says that the Gyan-Setu AI innovation challenge has already received over 40 entries, with shortlisted innovations to be presented during the conference.