Context:
On September 12, 2025, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the Gyan Bharatam Portal as part of Gyan Bharatam Mission during the International Conference on Gyan Bharatam at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The portal is a dedicated platform designed to digitize, preserve, and provide public access to India’s invaluable manuscript heritage.
The Gyan Bharatam Mission:
- The Gyan Bharatam Mission is a national initiative to preserve, digitize, and share India’s vast manuscript collection. It integrates traditional knowledge with modern technology to safeguard these cultural treasures for future generations. The government has allocated Rs. 482.85 crore for the period 2024–31.
- Technology, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), plays a pivotal role in the Gyan Bharatam Mission. AI technologies such as Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) will be used to digitize ancient manuscripts with high accuracy.
Gyan Bharatam Mission’s Core Objectives:
The Mission focuses on:
1. Identification and Documentation: Establishing Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs) across India for systematic documentation.
2. Conservation and Restoration: Strengthening Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs) using scientific and traditional methods.
3. Digitization: Large-scale digitization of manuscripts using AI tools like HTR.
4. Research and Publication: Reviving rare manuscripts through translations and critical editions.
5. Capacity Building: Training experts in transcription, conservation, and manuscriptology.
6. Global Collaboration: Collaborating internationally for manuscript retrieval and digitization.
About Manuscripts:
A manuscript is a handwritten composition on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf or any other material dating back at least seventy-five years that has significant scientific, historical or aesthetic value. Lithographs and printed volumes are not manuscripts. Manuscripts are found in hundreds of different languages and scripts.
· Often, one language is written in a number of different scripts. For example, Sanskrit is written in Oriya script, Grantha script, Devanagari script and many other scripts.
· Manuscripts are distinct from historical records such as epigraphs on rocks, firmans, revenue records which provide direct information on events or processes in history. Manuscripts have knowledge content.
Significance of the Gyan Bharatam Mission:
The Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to preserve, digitize, and make India’s vast manuscript collection accessible to the world. It is not just an academic or governmental initiative but a proclamation of India’s culture, literature, and consciousness. This mission will help safeguard India's intellectual heritage for future generations while also contributing to the global knowledge pool.
About National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM):
Since its establishment in 2003, the NMM has been crucial in preserving India’s manuscript legacy, documenting over 44 lakh manuscripts. The Gyan Bharatam Mission builds on this foundation by incorporating cutting-edge AI technologies and creating national digital repositories to ensure global accessibility.
Conclusion:
PM Modi’s launch of the Gyan Bharatam Portal marks a transformative step in preserving, digitizing, and sharing India’s manuscript heritage. The Mission not only safeguards ancient wisdom but also empowers the youth to engage with and reimagine heritage in the digital age, ensuring India’s intellectual legacy continues to inspire future generations.
