Gyan Bharatam Mission (2025): Digitizing India’s Manuscript Heritage

Policy Update
Varalika Raizada

Introduction

India has one of the most ancient and richest manuscript collections in the world. These manuscripts are diverse in formats, languages and scripts covering a wide range of subjects. In earlier times, manuscripts were the sole way to transfer knowledge and served as the repository of Indian thought. Preservation of these manuscripts is equivalent to the preservation of Indian history and heritage. However, these manuscripts are fragmented across various institutions, libraries, temples and individuals, making it difficult to study them systematically. In the past, cultural conservation was accomplished using traditional techniques.

However, with the advancement of technology, digitization of manuscripts became a valuable means to protect and document these texts. Gyan Bharatam Mission is one such visionary mission launched by the Indian government, which aims to revive and allow universal access to the manuscript heritage of India. In the Union budget of India 2025-26 presented on 1st February 2025, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the launch of the Gyan Bharatam Mission to safeguard the manuscripts containing ancient India’s diverse and valuable knowledge through digitization and making them available for posterity.

Background

Manuscripts hold valuable indigenous knowledge of ancient sciences, medicine, governance and linguistics. These scriptures are the wealth of India which needs to be documented in a standardized manner. According to UNESCO, digital heritage is a “unique resource of human knowledge and expression”. Institutes primarily involved in the digitization process in India are the National Archives of India, the National Mission for Manuscript and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Art.

According to the National Archives of India, there are more than 34 crores of public records including manuscripts, cartographic reports, treaties and maps, and government gazettes. The National Archives of India, in commitment to preserving history, enriching public engagement and fostering research, has undertaken the world’s largest national archives digitizing project. Under this project, nearly 6 lakh pages per month have been conserved and many digitized. The first Phase 1 has been completed and phase two began in 2024.

Under the Ministry of Culture, the National Mission for Manuscripts, 2003 was launched to document manuscripts and facilitate the conservation and preservation of Indian textual heritage. This first structured effort to protect these texts is a key achieveent in India’s digitization efforts. Access to these manuscripts was made available through books, publications and machine-readable forms to boost scholarship, research and study of Indian languages and manuscriptology.

Additionally, it provided for the establishment of a national manuscript library and its digital version at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Art for long-term archival without distortion of the original manuscript. A pilot project was initiated in 2004-06 under the National Mission for Manuscripts to set up guidelines and create standardized procedures for digitization. Under this mission, nearly 100 manuscript resource centres and manuscript conservation centres were established all over India, tracking, identifying and cataloging up to 55 lakh manuscripts. More than 3.5 lakh manuscripts were digitized and nearly 1 lakh were uploaded on online portals for free access to the general public. However, the mission had less scope and lacked adequate funding.

The Gyan Bharatam Mission is an extension under the National Mission for Manuscripts, which aims to digitize and organise Indian manuscripts and create a compiled digital repository of Indian manuscripts for the promotion of Indian traditions, historical knowledge and wisdom worldwide. It builds on the foundation laid by the National Mission for Manuscripts, by expanding the scope, integration of technology and creation of a fully integrated online database.

Objectives

The Gyan Bharatam Mission is part of the government’s effort to preserve Indian cultural heritage using technology, particularly the vast collection of indigenous knowledge in textual documents. According to the Union budget of 2025-26, the funding allocation for the National Mission for Manuscripts for carrying out the Gyan Bharatam Mission has been increased from 3.5 crores to 60 crores. Under this mission, a total of one crore manuscripts are set to go through the systematic digitization process. The mission’s objectives include:

Nationwide Survey And Documentation: conduct nationwide surveys to locate ancient Indian literature. Collection and compilation of manuscripts involves scourging manuscripts from various sources including academic institutions, museums and libraries and private collectors.
Conservation and Preservation: to use modern techniques and technology to conserve and restore manuscripts under the guidance of trained conservationists and preserve the knowledge communicated in manuscripts with the help of linguists and research scholars.
Digitization and National Digital Repository: to convert fragile manuscripts into high-quality digital formats and create a national digital repository as a central database for storage, sharing and free access to the general public.
Expanding Universal Access: to promote traditional knowledge systems through digitization to provide global access, and to encourage academic collaborations, research and study of ancient languages and scriptures.

These objectives, if successfully implemented, will ensure the protection of manuscripts from physical deterioration and preservation for posterity, enhance accessibility using advanced technology, encourage research opportunities in indigenous knowledge systems and build a lasting legacy for India’s cultural heritage.

Potential Impact

Gyan Bharatam Mission has the potential to be a global benchmark in manuscript conservation and digital knowledge dissemination. It can safeguard India’s documentary heritage for future generations through digitization and archival conservation of Manuscripts. It can have the following potential impacts:

Revitalizing India’s knowledge systems: This mission enables India to promote its traditional knowledge systems comprising, traditional wisdom, scientific advancement and cultural heritage. The Indian knowledge system covers fields such as Ayurveda and Medicine, which involve holistic healing, medicinal herbs, and natural remedies; Mathematics and Astronomy, celebrating the contributions of Aryabhata, Ramanujan and Bhaskara; Philosophy and Ethics, discussing Vedic texts and Upanishads; Diverse Languages and Literature, such as Sanskrit, Tamil, Pali, and Prakrit; and Traditional Art and Culture.
Advancing Research and Academic scholarship: Making manuscripts available to the public can create links between India’s past and present. Unprecedented access to the vast ancient Indian texts can boost research and deeper studies in history, philosophy, language and science, to welcome new revelations on Indian heritage.
Enhancing India’s soft power and global influence: Moreover, the expansion of India’s intellectual history can increase India’s soft power and cultural diplomacy, and gain global recognition in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Program, which seeks preservation and universal access to textual heritage worldwide. This can further reinforce India’s image as the hub of wisdom, spirituality and innovation.

Way Forward

The protection of the manuscripts is a cultural responsibility. The advancement of technology presents a good means to preserve heritage institutions and disseminate rich indigenous knowledge of manuscripts. Digitization is important for both preservation and accessibility without compromising the safety of the precious documents. This important move demonstrates the Indian government’s intention to restore India to its former cultural glory. For this mission to achieve its full potential, a few challenges must be addressed:

Public awareness and engagement: it must be ensured that the manuscript decryption and knowledge is actively studied rather than just archived. Students, researchers and scholars must be encouraged to explore the rich Indian heritage
Technological and infrastructure constraints: the digitization process requires high quality equipment. Thus, digital infrastructure must be expanded to be easily accessible where manuscripts are found through establishment of more technologically enabled manuscript conservation centres.
Language and translation problems: lack of linguistic experts can be a problem. Linguistic specialists in ancient Indian languages like sanskrit, pali and prakrit are required to facilitate the correct identification, classification and interpretation of the manuscripts found.

Preserving Manuscripts can bridge the past norms, customs and traditions of the past. A historic project, the Gyan Bharatam Mission can serve as a bridge between ancient knowledge and modern scholarship at a time when digital revolution is transforming the way knowledge is accessed.

References

Chakrabarty, S. (2025, February 1). Union Budget 2025-26: Gyan Bharatam Mission launched for conserving India’s manuscript heritage. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/business/budget/new-mission-for-manuscripts-announced-in-union-budget/article69168643.ece
Press Information Bureau. (2024, July 25). National Mission for Manuscripts. Government of India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2037089
Press Information Bureau. (2024, August 1). Digitisation of Records of National Archives. Government of India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2040117
Press Information Bureau. (2025, February 1). Union Budget 2025-26 identifies Tourism as a sector for employment- led growth. Government of India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2098371
Press Information Bureau. (2025, March 11). Gyan Bharatam Mission,’ a visionary initiative aimed at expanding access to India’s vast repository of knowledge: Union Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Government of India. https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2110370
Rajan, S. S., & Esmail, S. M. (2021). Manuscripts: Preservation in the digital age. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-10.

About the contributor: Varalika Raizada is a research intern at IMPRI.

Acknowledgement: The author extends her sincere gratitude to Aasthaba Jadeja and fellow interns, who provided guidance throughout the process.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.