The Ministry of Culture launched the Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey on 16 March 2026, under the Gyan Bharatam initiative, to identify and document manuscripts located across the country. The Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey aims to map the presence of manuscripts across India and lay the groundwork for their systematic preservation, research, and digitisation.
India possesses one of the world’s richest manuscript traditions across subjects like philosophy, science, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, literature, arts, and governance. A large part of this knowledge heritage, however, remains undocumented and dispersed across private homes, temples, monasteries, libraries, and institutions. Through the Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey, the Ministry of Culture aims to create a geo-tagged national inventory of manuscript repositories across districts and states. This effort will help build a national ‘Manuscript Presence Map', enabling systematic cataloguing, conservation planning, and long-term research. The initiative will support the creation of digital resources that can be preserved for future generations and made accessible to scholars and researchers.
The Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey encourages wide public participation through the Gyan Bharatam mobile application and website. Authorised surveyors appointed under the mission and custodians of manuscripts, such as families, scholars, temples, and institutions, as well as individuals aware of manuscript collections in their communities, can submit information about manuscripts. The process is voluntary and non-intrusive, and participation does not affect ownership or require transfer of manuscripts.
The Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey will be conducted through a four-stage framework:
The first stage focuses on the identification of manuscripts and their locations through submissions on the digital platform, leading to the creation of a national manuscript presence map.
The second stage involves physical verification by experts and state authorities.
The third stage includes detailed cataloguing and metadata creation, such as identification of language, script, and subject.
The final stage focuses on conservation support and high-quality digitisation of manuscripts to enable long-term preservation and research.
To ensure ease of participation, the survey collects only basic information, including ownership type, district and location of manuscripts, approximate number of manuscripts, duration of custody, and basic manuscript details available. This simplified process allows individuals and institutions across the country to contribute to documenting India’s manuscript heritage.
The initiative forms a key pillar of the Gyan Bharatam initiative, a national mission aimed at preserving, digitising and disseminating India’s vast manuscript legacy by integrating traditional knowledge systems with emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. The initiative was highlighted by the Ministry of Culture during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, inaugurated by the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The Ministry of Culture showcased how heritage and technology can work together to safeguard and disseminate India’s knowledge traditions for future generations.
The Gyan Bharatam National Manuscript Survey invites citizens, scholars, institutions, and communities across the country to participate in the survey by downloading the Gyan Bharatam mobile application and sharing information about manuscripts. Through collective participation, the initiative seeks to build the first comprehensive national map of manuscript repositories in India and strengthen the preservation and dissemination of the country’s invaluable knowledge heritage.
App Store download link:
https://apps.apple.com/in/app/gyan-bharatam/id6756345232
Play Store download link:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gyanbharatam.app
Website link:
https://gyanbharatam.com/
