Modi govt is collecting rare manuscripts of Ramayan. Panel formed to evaluate texts

The response has been swift. In less than a week since the advertisement appeared, Singh says he has received dozens of calls regarding donations.

A folio from Benares' gilded 'Kanchana Ramayana' | Philippe Calia | MAP Academy

New Delhi: A frail elderly man turned up at the under-construction International Ram Katha Museum in Ayodhya recently, clutching what he claimed was a 200-year-old manuscript of the Ramcharitmanas. This was shortly after the Modi government issued a nationwide call inviting scholars, institutions and private collectors to donate rare manuscripts of the Ramayan to create a National Repository of Ramayan Manuscripts.

The man had come with a simple request: that the manuscript be preserved.

“When he arrived, he was pleading with us to take the manuscript,” IRKM director and convenor of NRRM Sanjib Kumar Singh told ThePrint.

“We have a process in place to collect and verify such materials. We explained to him that a team of experts would first need to examine it,” Singh said, adding that such visits capture the spirit of the government’s new initiative, an attempt to locate and preserve scattered versions of one of India’s most enduring epics.

The Modi government is aiming to digitise all the old manuscripts scattered across the country under the Gyan Bharatam mission. This is the first dedicated effort to systematically document manuscripts related to the Ramayan. The Prime Minister’s Museum and Library (PMML) in New Delhi recently published multiple advertisements in regional languages, inviting people to contribute manuscripts and rare texts.

The response has been swift. In less than a week since the ad first appeared, Singh says that he has received dozens of calls. Some callers have already sent photographs of manuscripts believed to be decades, even centuries, old.

“People seem eager to contribute. Many feel these manuscripts should be preserved for the public good rather than remain locked away,” said Singh, adding that the outstanding manuscripts will be displayed at the Museum in Ayodhya.

“The aim of the repository is to conserve, preserve and display the literature related to Lord Ram. India has a vast tradition and rich Ramayana texts, many of which remain in private collections. Our initiative is to bring all together,” Singh added.

How the idea was floated

The idea to create a national repository, Singh recalled, began with a small but striking story he once narrated to Nripendra Mishra, the chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Temple Construction Committee.

Singh said that a few years ago, an elderly priest chose to do samadhi with a bundle of old manuscripts in Ayodhya. It left a deep impression on him as such priceless texts were disappearing quietly like this, there had to be a way to conserve them before they were lost forever.

The proposal, Singh added, eventually received a nod from the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the execution level, few rules have been made. Those willing to donate will first communicate their intention with details such as the title of the manuscript, its age, script, material form (paper or leaf), size and folio number, along with colour photographs of the manuscripts.

According to the advertisement, manuscripts may include but are not limited to Valmiki’s Ramayan, regional editions and versions, along with commentaries, sub-commentaries, ancillary texts, and illustrated manuscripts produced on palm-leaf or paper. The manuscripts should be composed in Sanskrit and other traditional Indian languages such as Brahmi, Devanagari, Grantha, Sarada, Bengali, and Telugu.

“This sacred initiative seeks to preserve the timeless legacy of the Ramayana for future generations. No published materials will be accepted,” read the advertisement.

The ad calling for donations of rare manuscripts of the Ramayan | By special arrangement

To evaluate the manuscripts that come in, Singh said that an internal committee has been formed. It includes two subject experts, a representative from Central Sanskrit University and the director of the National Mission for Manuscripts.

But Singh is aware of the challenges ahead. “Convincing people to part with manuscripts from their private collections will not be easy,” he said.

For centuries, people have carefully preserved these items, holding them in reverence as sacred texts. “We hope that people will open their hearts and, in the name of Ram, willingly hand over the manuscripts associated with him.”

(Edited by Insha Jalil Waziri)