MYSURU: An expert team conducting a survey of manuscripts has found 30,996 rare manuscripts in Mysuru district. The survey, being carried out under the Gyan Bharatam Mission (GBM), was launched by the Ministry of Culture to protect India’s invaluable manuscript heritage. Its mission is to preserve, digitise and disseminate manuscript knowledge through systematic survey, documentation and cataloguing.
Former director of Oriental Research Institute (ORI) Dr KV Ramapriya has been appointed project coordinator for GBM in Mysuru district. He has been leading the expert team conducting the survey since March. They have discovered several rare manuscripts at Veerashaiva mutts, private institutions and with priests.
Ramapriya told TNIE that ORI houses nearly 26,000 bundles of manuscripts covering around 92,000 titles. “I have a team of four surveyors who are experts in manuscripts. They visit individuals and institutions that possess manuscripts, document them and upload the details on the Gyan Bharatam Survey app,” he said.
The survey has so far documented 30,996 rare manuscripts in Mysuru district. “We visited Maharaja’s Sanskrit College near Mysuru City Corporation office on Saturday and found 92 rare manuscripts. Shivaratreshwara Mutt in Nanjangud has more than 200, while the Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies at Manasagangotri campus has around 6,000 bundles of Kannada manuscripts. Mummadi Chandrashekara Shivacharya Swamiji of Shankar Mutt possesses around 150 manuscripts, and the Suttur Mutt museum has over 250 manuscripts,” he said.
So far, around 25 locations in Mysuru district have been identified as containing rare manuscripts. “During the survey, we found that some manuscripts were in poor condition. As part of the project, we are also guiding manuscript owners on conservation methods,” he said. The first phase of the survey, which involves locating manuscripts, began in March and is expected to conclude by May-end. The subsequent phases will focus on preservation, protection, digitisation and publication of manuscripts.
Mission mode
The survey of ancient manuscripts is being conducted under the Gyan Bharatam Mission by the Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism. It aims to provide public access to India’s rich manuscript heritage through a single national platform.
Survey, documentation and cataloguing of manuscripts through a nationwide network of cluster centres
Conservation and restoration using preventive & curative methods
Digitisation and digital archiving using HTR, AI and cloud-based metadata systems linked to national repositories
Research, translation and publication of rare and unpublished manuscripts, including facsimiles and critical editions