Patna: Authorities in Patna have begun an extensive survey to identify and digitise manuscripts that are at least 75 years old, as part of the Indian government’s ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ – a nationwide initiative aimed at preserving and sharing the country’s intellectual heritage.
At a meeting on Friday, district magistrate Dr Thiyagarajan S M outlined plans for the implementation of the programme, directing officials across administrative levels to carry out a coordinated survey to locate historically significant handwritten texts. The exercise involves personnel from the education and culture departments, as well as academics and institutional representatives.
The survey will cover manuscripts held in government and private institutions, including temples, monasteries, libraries and personal collections. Officials said the material may be found on a range of mediums such as paper, palm leaves, cloth, metal and bhojpatra (birch bark).
A district-level committee has been formed to oversee the identification, cataloguing and digitisation process. Once documented, the manuscripts will be uploaded to the ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ app, a centralised digital platform designed to create an accessible archive of India’s historical texts.
Speaking at the meeting, Thiyagarajan said the initiative would enable future generations to engage with India’s knowledge traditions, adding that departments must work in “mission mode” to complete the survey within the set timeframe.
According to district art and culture officer Kirti Alok, Patna – historically known as Pataliputra – has long been a centre of political and cultural activity, particularly during the Mauryan and Gupta periods. He noted that the region’s proximity to renowned centres of learning such as Nalanda and Vikramshila contributed to a strong tradition of manuscript production and preservation.
This legacy continued during the colonial period, when Patna remained an administrative and educational hub, with libraries safeguarding important documents. Today, many such manuscripts are still dispersed across religious institutions and private households in and around the city.
Officials said that a survey of 49,858 manuscripts has already been completed in the district.
The ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ app, launched by the Government of India, is intended to systematically document and digitise ancient manuscripts from across the country, creating a comprehensive and accessible digital repository of historically significant works.
