Jaipur: Rajasthan has emerged as the country’s leading state in manuscript digitisation, with nearly 1.25 lakh manuscripts digitised under the Gyan Bharatam initiative, Union ministry of culture said at a national conference ‘National Digitisation Drive’ in Jaipur Monday. The conference was organised by Gyan Bharatam, an initiative of ministry of culture.The state has identified nearly 24 lakh manuscripts since a survey campaign began in March 2026, though the Centre believes the actual number could be much higher if private collectors open their collections to the survey.“Rajasthan undoubtedly has a rich historical collection in private hands. What has been collected so far is just the tip of the iceberg. The figure could be no less than one crore if private collectors help us identify their manuscripts,” Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told TOI.The scale and diversity of the collection were showcased at a national exhibition held alongside the conference. Rare exhibits included a handwritten map of Amer, records relating to agricultural practices and reforms during the Maharana Pratap era, and manuscripts documenting the administrative and cultural history of Rajasthan.Shekhawat said the next phase would focus on digitising the identified manuscripts, promoting academic research and submitting digital copies to National Mission for Manuscripts for preservation and wider access.The survey has thrown up several rare texts, including a 14th-century commentary on Kautilya’s Arthashastra, manuscripts of the medieval Rajasthani classic Bisaldev Raso and a 10th-century Vishēṣāvaśyakabhāṣya.“Manuscripts of Bisaldev Raso, along with commentaries such as Krishna Rukmini Beli, have also been identified,” said Lata Srimali, chairperson of Rajasthan Sanskrit Academy, the nodal body for the campaign.Another significant find is an illustrated Kalpasutra with Kalakacarya Katha, dated VS 1503 (around 1446 CE), containing 47 gold-illuminated miniatures representing the pre-Mughal Jain painting tradition.National Manuscript Survey, launched by Union ministry of culture, seeks to identify manuscripts and their custodians, document them and create a national database. Across India, information on more than 1.19 crore manuscripts has been compiled.
