Kurukshetra leads Haryana in identifying ancient manuscripts under Centre’s mission

Kurukshetra: Kurukshetra has emerged as Haryana's top district in identification and preservation of ancient manuscripts under the Centre's Gyan Bharatam Mission, with 15,818 manuscripts identified so far, deputy commissioner Vishram Kumar Meena said on Monday.Chairing a meeting at the district mini secretariat, Meena said large-scale preservation and digitisation work was under way in the district, with 515 surveyors deployed across rural and urban areas to locate manuscripts of historical, cultural and religious significance.Officials said 140 manuscripts from the Shri Krishna Museum of the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) and 15,678 manuscripts from the Manuscript Resource and Conservation Centre at Kurukshetra University had already been uploaded to the Gyan Bharatam Mission portal.The DC said manuscripts over 75 years old were being covered under the mission. Surveyors were also spreading awareness among residents and encouraging them to upload manuscripts found in villages and urban areas.The administration has also decided to catalogue manuscripts available in temples, monasteries, libraries and private collections. Manuscripts in Sanskrit, Hindi, Persian and other languages will be scientifically digitised and uploaded to the portal.Meena said the initiative would help researchers, academicians and the public access India's knowledge heritage more easily. He added that the campaign held special significance in Kurukshetra because of its historical and cultural importance linked to the Mahabharata era.Earlier, Haryana chief secretary Anurag Rastogi reviewed the progress of the mission through a video conference with deputy commissioners across the state.