NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister’s Museum and Library (PMML), under the ministry of culture, has initiated efforts to create a National Repository of Ramayana Manuscripts (NRRM), aimed at preserving rare and ancient versions of the scripture from across India.
NRRM has invited institutions, scholars, individuals, religious bodies, universities, libraries and private collectors to donate rare manuscripts of the Ramayana and related texts. Selected manuscripts will be showcased in Ram Temple and International Ram Katha Museum (IRKM) in Ayodhya.
“Manuscripts may include but are not limited to Valmiki Ramayana, regional versions, commentaries, sub-commentaries, ancillary texts and illustrated manuscripts written on palm leaves or paper...Relevant and outstanding scripts will be exhibited at Ram Temple and IRKM albeit after proper scrutiny and validation by a committee set up for the purpose,” said officials.
The Committee to verify and validate the donations comprises two domain experts, representatives of the culture ministry and National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) with the director of IRKM Sanjib Kumar Singh as its convener.
Briefing about the initiative, Singh, who is also dealing with the potential donors and contributors, said that the idea is to preserve and place all literature related to Lord Ram available in the country at one place.
“The collection will be properly conserved, preserved and digitised for the future generation. It will be available to scholars for research purposes. It will also help people understand the great extent of Indian art and literature,” he added.
The PMML will accept manuscripts composed in Sanskrit, other Indian languages and traditional Indian scripts.
Since the notice seeking contribution of ancient manuscripts was published, Singh has received more than 100 queries. Those willing to donate have been asked to communicate their intention with details including title of the manuscript, age, script used, material form, size and folio numbers. The text holders should also share a video sample and colour photographs of the first and last pages of their possession. The PMML will not accept published material, officials clarified.
Earlier, this newspaper reported that the PMML had planned to collect authenticated versions of Ramayana in different languages to be kept at one level of sanctum sanctorum hence it would invite individuals to donate.
In January, the Vice Chancellor of the Central Sanskrit University handed over a 233-year-old Valmiki Ramayana to the Chairman of the Executive Council of PMML.