Bhopal July 8, 2026

Madhya Pradesh has emerged as the leading state in the nationwide effort to identify, digitise and preserve India's ancient manuscript heritage under the Centre's Gyan Bharatam Mission, reinforcing its position as one of the country's richest repositories of civilisational knowledge.

State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Chaitanya Kashyap said Madhya Pradesh has secured the top position in the national campaign for manuscript collection, digitisation and conservation. He said more than 34 lakh registrations have been completed under the mission across the country, of which nearly 12 lakh manuscripts have already been verified. Madhya Pradesh has made the highest contribution to this exercise, he said.

The nationwide survey is also bringing to light manuscripts and historical records that had remained hidden for centuries in homes, temples and private collections across Madhya Pradesh. Among the most remarkable discoveries is a handwritten copy of Acharya Keshavdas' celebrated work Rasikpriya, written in 1591 AD, found at the Shri Ram Janaki Temple. Considered one of the landmark works of Hindi's Riti period, the manuscript is expected to provide valuable material for literary historians and researchers.

The survey has also uncovered a 10-foot-long illustrated map of Jambudweep from Tikamgarh, depicting the ancient Indian conception of geography with continents and islands. The rare manuscript is considered historically and culturally important, offering fresh insight into India's traditional understanding of geography and cosmology. Officials describe it as an important cultural and historical find.

According to reports the Burhanpur, researchers have documented a 220-year-old, 20-foot-long handwritten manuscript of the Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, while Datia has yielded a copper plate inscription (Tamrapatra) dating back to the reign of Orchha ruler Udeet Singh, adding another significant record to the state's archival heritage.

The achievement comes under the Union Government's Gyan Bharatam Mission, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Culture aimed at surveying, documenting, conserving, digitising and making accessible India's vast manuscript wealth preserved in temples, monasteries, libraries, museums, educational institutions and private collections. The mission also seeks to build a National Digital Repository so that these invaluable records become available for researchers and future generations.

India possesses one of the world's largest manuscript traditions, covering subjects as diverse as philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, Ayurveda, literature, music, governance and architecture. Many of these handwritten texts remain scattered across private collections and religious institutions, making systematic documentation and scientific preservation an urgent national priority.

The Gyan Bharatam Mission was announced as a major national initiative following the Union Budget 2025-26 and has been allocated Rs 491.66 crore for implementation between 2025 and 2031. Besides conservation and digitisation, the programme aims to create detailed metadata for every manuscript and integrate advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, for cataloguing, searchability and long-term digital preservation.

Officials say discoveries such as the Jambudweep map from Tikamgarh underline the cultural importance of the ongoing survey. Such manuscripts not only preserve India's intellectual traditions but also provide valuable evidence for historians, linguists, archaeologists and scholars studying the evolution of Indian civilisation.

The discoveries have also prompted the state government to invite public participation in the nationwide heritage mission. Additional Chief Secretary, Culture, Sheo Shekhar Shukla appealed to citizens to come forward and share information about rare handwritten manuscripts preserved in homes, temples, monasteries and private collections through the Gyan Bharatam portal. He said manuscripts identified through the campaign would be brought under scientific conservation and digitisation, ensuring that invaluable literary, historical and cultural records are preserved for future generations.

Officials believe many such manuscripts remain undocumented across the state. With Madhya Pradesh already leading the national survey, wider public participation is expected to uncover more hidden treasures and strengthen efforts to safeguard India's rich knowledge tradition while making it digitally accessible to researchers, scholars and future generations.

With Madhya Pradesh leading the national exercise, the state is expected to play a pivotal role in safeguarding India's handwritten knowledge legacy while ensuring that centuries-old manuscripts are scientifically preserved and digitally accessible for generations to come.