BackOTHER
300-year-old Shrimad Bhagwat, rare Jain manuscripts found during Delhi survey under Gyan Bharatam Mission
During a Delhi survey under the Centre's Gyan Bharatam Mission, authorities surfaced a 300-year-old illustrated Shrimad Bhagwat and a 250-year-old medicine manuscript. The initiative aims to identify, document and geotag unregistered manuscripts over 75 years old linked to religion, medicine and traditional knowledge, with fieldwork by university students and researchers from April 16 to June 15.
Why It Matters
The mission seeks to build a nationwide inventory of undocumented manuscript heritage and protect traditional knowledge preserved in handwritten form, potentially preserving texts on religion, philosophy, Ayurveda, literature and local histories.
Timeline
6 Events
April 21, 2026: Holdings reported and discovery noted
April 21, 2026
The Archives Department reported holding 248 manuscripts, including a 300-year-old illustrated Shrimad Bhagwat with 10 manifestations of Lord Vishnu and a 250-year-old medicine manuscript, with the ongoing Delhi survey.
April 16, 2026: Field survey drive begins
April 16, 2026
The field survey drive began in Delhi to locate, document and geotag manuscripts over 75 years old; 13 students from Dr B R Ambedkar University and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, along with postgraduate and PhD scholars, began field visits and engaging with families preserving manuscripts.
April 15, 2026: Training and orientation for surveyors
April 15, 2026
A training and orientation session for surveyors was held with 28 participants, who were trained to use the Gyan Bharatam app and to identify manuscripts correctly.
April 8, 2026: First meeting of State Committee
April 8, 2026
The first meeting of the state committee was held under the chairmanship of the chief secretary, after which district administrations were brought in to speed up implementation.
March 16, 2026: Centre launches Gyan Bharatam Mission
March 16, 2026
The Centre launched the Gyan Bharatam Mission to create a nationwide inventory of India's undocumented manuscript heritage and protect traditional knowledge preserved in handwritten form.
January 2026: MoU signed to enable Gyan Bharatam preparatory work
January 2026
Preparatory work for the exercise began after a memorandum of understanding was signed in January 2026, enabling the Gyan Bharatam Mission to proceed with surveys and data collection.