Orchestra 
DIGITAL WORLD
BRICS+ Media Centre 
MODERN RUSSIAN 
13.07.2612:00 
India launches first nationwide survey to map and digitise millions of manuscripts
The three-month initiative aims to create a unified digital database of the country’s vast manuscript heritage
India’s Ministry of Culture has launched the country’s first nationwide survey to identify and document manuscripts preserved across institutions and private collections. The three-month initiative seeks to create a comprehensive national database as part of the Gyan Bharatam Mission, a programme dedicated to preserving India’s cultural and literary heritage.
The survey will begin at the district level before expanding to state and national coordination. Teams will record manuscripts held in libraries, archives, temples, educational institutions, and by private custodians. The collected information will be uploaded to a centralised digital repository, as reported by News9, a partner of TV BRICS.
To support the process, survey teams will use a dedicated mobile application that allows them to upload details of newly identified manuscripts directly to the system. Secretary of the Ministry of Culture Vivek Aggarwal noted that the use of digital tools will also ensure that the materials are digitised in a standardised format, facilitating long-term preservation and wider accessibility.
The project aligns with the vision outlined in the New Delhi Declaration adopted during the Gyan Bharatam conference. At the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the mission as a major step towards showcasing India’s culture, literature, and intellectual traditions.
India is believed to hold the world’s largest manuscript collection, estimated at around 10 million items. According to officials, the Ministry of Culture is also integrating more than one million manuscripts that have already been digitised by various institutions and state governments, further expanding the national archive for scholars and the public.
The BRICS countries are implementing programmes to study historical monuments and archival materials and are preserving their cultural heritage.
Persian manuscripts relating to Iranian history and culture were collected in India and handed over to the Islamic World Science and Technology Citation and Monitoring Institute (ISC) in Iran. Many texts have survived to the present day and have been digitised. This was reported by Mehr News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS. As explained by ISC head Mohammad Mehdi Alavianmehr, Iranians were engaged in cultural activities on Indian soil for around 800 years.
In Egypt, at the site of the historic city of Athribis in the province of Sohag, archaeologists have discovered around 13,000 ostraca – shards of pottery that were used in ancient times as an affordable writing material. These shards bear inscriptions in various languages and scripts: accounts, lists, tax receipts, student assignments and prayer texts. According to experts, the find provides valuable material for studying the evolution of language, the administrative system and education in ancient Egypt, reports Daily News Egypt, a partner of TV BRICS.
In southern Kazakhstan, a collection of hikmets, a cycle of poems by the Central Asian Sufi philosopher Khoja Ahmed Yassawi, has been discovered. The manuscript dates from 1834. At present, the book is the oldest manuscript in the country. It consists of 120 hikmets, 39 of which have not been seen before. The artefact has been handed over to the National Museum of History and Culture in the city of Turkestan, notes Kazinform, a partner of TV BRICS.
14.07.2612:00 
11.07.2610:00 
12 minutes 33 sec.