New Delhi: Three more Indian manuscripts — the epic Mahabharata, the 12th-century Rajatarangini and Kautilya’s Arthashastra — have been included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.
The decision was made at the 11th session of the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, held in Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) prepared the nomination dossiers for the three works.
Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat described the inclusion as a moment of immense pride for the country.
“These timeless works embody our rich traditions of historic inquiry, philosophical thought and statecraft, whose wisdom continues to inspire humanity,” Shekhawat wrote on X.
In April 2025, the Natyashastra and the Bhagavad Gita were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
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What are the manuscripts?
The primary surviving manuscript of Kashmiri historian and author Kalhana’s Rajatarangini is preserved at the Oriental Research Library in Srinagar.
A rare 12th-century chronicle, Rajatarangini was written in Sanskrit between 1148 and 1149 CE, in the Sharada script on traditional Kashmiri birch bark.
It documents the history and royal dynasties of Kashmir, along with political events and socio-cultural aspects of the region, within the literary framework of kavya (poetry).
The text comprises 7,826 verses divided into eight books, known as tarangas.
“The Rajatarangini is a repository of the cultural essence of Kashmir. Demonstrating Kalhana’s critical method, his use of sources, innovative chronological framework and ethical reflections, the manuscript evinces an early historical consciousness rare in South Asian literature,” reads the UNESCO’s observations on the nomination state.
The other text included in the UNESCO register is Kautilya’s Arthashastra, an ancient Sanskrit treatise on statecraft, economic policy, governance and military strategy.
The work is attributed to Vishnugupta, also known as Chanakya, who served as chief adviser to Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
Dating back to the 4th century BCE, the text survives in a complete 16th-century palm-leaf manuscript written in the Grantha script and preserved at the Oriental Research Institute in Mysore.
It is structured into 15 books, 50 chapters and 180 sections.
“Its insights remain relevant in governance, business, management, sustainable development and contemporary fields,” UNESCO’s observations state.
The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune houses the Mahabharata manuscripts, now included in the nomination.
“The influence of the Mahabharata extended far beyond India’s borders, shaping the life and art of Asia for centuries. Acquired in Kashmir in 1875 by the eminent Indologist Georg Bühler, this fragmentary manuscript constitutes the most authentic extant representative of the old Kashmiri version and is regarded as a codex archetype,” the UNESCO register’s observations state.
UNESCO adds that, as a unique witness to Asia’s cultural memory, the manuscript requires careful preservation to ensure its transmission to future generations.
(Edited by Maryam Hassan)