Chandigarh, May 25
Haryana has uploaded 27,587 manuscripts under the Gyan Bharatam Mission as part of efforts to preserve the state’s documentary, intellectual, and cultural heritage, officials said on Monday. The initiative aims to create a digital repository of manuscripts to make India’s traditional knowledge systems accessible to researchers, scholars, and future generations.
Kurukshetra emerged as the top performing district in the state with 15,818 manuscripts uploaded on the Gyan Bharatam portal so far.
Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi reviewed the progress of the National Manuscript Survey and directed departments to accelerate outreach and documentation efforts across the state. During the review meeting, he stressed the need for coordinated efforts among government departments, educational institutions, and district administrations to ensure proper documentation of valuable manuscripts available across Haryana.
Rastogi said preserving manuscripts is not merely an archival exercise but an important step towards safeguarding centuries old traditions, knowledge systems, and cultural values. He added that the initiative would help strengthen access to India’s intellectual heritage for scholars and researchers.
The Gyan Bharatam Mission, launched by the Ministry of Culture, aims to survey, conserve, digitize, and document manuscripts through collaboration with institutions, libraries, museums, and private collectors. The National Manuscript Survey, launched on March 16, 2026, focuses on creating a nationwide database of manuscripts held by institutions, scholars, temples, libraries, and private individuals.
Officials informed the meeting that the Department of Archives, Haryana, has been designated as the nodal department for implementing the survey in the state. District level committees and nodal officers have also been appointed to ensure the smooth implementation of the documentation process.
Commissioner and Secretary of the Archives Department, Saket Kumar, said regular monitoring and district level coordination are being carried out to ensure the timely progress of the survey.
The chief secretary also reviewed awareness campaigns being conducted through print and social media to encourage public participation in identifying and documenting manuscript collections across Haryana.
