Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Gyan Bharatam portal at the International Conference on Gyan Bharatam in New Delhi, marking a landmark step in preserving and promoting India’s manuscript tradition. The portal, announced during the 2025 Budget session, seeks to digitise and catalogue nearly one crore manuscripts in about 80 languages, making them accessible worldwide while safeguarding against intellectual piracy.
Gyan Bharatam Mission
The mission envisions a central digital platform for manuscripts located across India and abroad. It will not only provide open access for researchers and the public but also foster collaboration with global institutions for preservation, training, and research. The initiative highlights India’s civilisational wealth while positioning it as a knowledge leader in the 21st century.
India’s Manuscript Wealth
India holds the largest manuscript collection in the world, covering disciplines from philosophy and astronomy to medicine, metallurgy, and art. Notable works include the Gilgit texts on Kashmir’s history, Kautilya’s Arthashastra, Buddhist manuscripts from Sarnath, Ayurvedic classics like the Charaka and Sushruta Samhitas, and the Bakhshali manuscript, which contains the earliest recorded use of zero.
Knowledge Traditions and Cultural Legacy
India’s knowledge tradition rests on four pillars: preservation, innovation, addition, and adaptation. From the oral transmission of the Vedas to innovations in Ayurveda and metallurgy, and from evolving Ramayana traditions to intellectual debates (shastrarth), these practices ensured constant renewal. The mission encourages citizens, universities, and cultural institutions to join this effort.
Institutional and Global Collaboration
Institutions such as the Asiatic Society of Kolkata, Saraswati Mahal Library, and Dharohar Udaipur are playing pivotal roles, with more than 10 lakh manuscripts digitised so far. India has signed MoUs with universities in Thailand and Vietnam to train scholars in languages like Pali, Lanna, and Cham. Manuscripts from Mongolia have been digitised and repatriated, while those preserved in Japan’s Horyu-ji Monastery reflect India’s historic global outreach.
Technology, Youth, and Cultural Diplomacy
The mission leverages AI and advanced digital tools to support preservation and innovation in the $2.5 trillion global cultural and creative industries. Youth engagement remains central, with 70% of participants being young scholars and researchers. The effort also enhances India’s cultural diplomacy, complementing recent successes in repatriating hundreds of ancient idols.
Led by the Ministry of Culture, the conference discussed manuscript preservation, legal frameworks, decipherment, and heritage diplomacy. With Gyan Bharatam, India positions itself as a trusted global custodian of knowledge and heritage.