Electronic catalogue of ancient India

Add as a preferred source on Google

New Delhi, Feb 14 (UNI) India created a world record today by launching an electronic catalogue containing one million manuscripts that includes ancient works like 's Arthashastra, Gitagovinda and Babarnama.

Dedicating to the nation the online database on manuscripts, prepared by the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni described it as a "momentous occasion" and said "the compilation of the catalogue of such a large number of manuscripts is a world record, unsurpassed by any other country." On the occasion, Ms Soni declared as 'VijÑananidhi'' or the ''manuscript treasures of India,'' 45 select manuscripts.

Pointing out that there was a need to have a massive campaign among people about the importance of preserving the voices from the past, she said this was necessary to revive the perennial stream of knowledge for contemporary India.

"When India is emerging as knowledge society, there is a renewed focus in rediscovering the past and integrating it with the present, in an attempt to revive that perennial stream of knowledge for contemporary society in the country," the minister said, adding that the task was to engage in a search for India's own intellectual resources with full awareness of the components of our rich culture.

Ms Soni said the knowledge system developed in India with care and insistence on detail have largely became obscure for the general people, with the result that the 'modern' Indians started looking at the past, either with scorn or with indifference. "Contemporary Indians lost touch with the skills and techniques of ancient Indian systems and they became lost or neglected." She launched the online database Kritisampada, on the occasion, and opened it to public at large, for search on the basis of title, author, script, language, subject and material.

The database hosts information on individual manuscripts, manuscript collections and printed catalogues. The database will be accessible both in Hindi and English.