Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched the Gyan Bharatam Portal, a dedicated digital platform aimed at accelerating the digitisation, preservation and public access of manuscripts.
Prior to the launch, PM Modi attended an exhibition at the Gyan Bharatam International Conference, organised by the Union Ministry of Culture at Vigyan Bhawan. He was flanked by Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
The gathering focused on exploring strategies to revive India's vast and unique manuscript heritage and position it as a central element in the global exchange of knowledge.
Key policymakers among participants
According to the PMO, the three-day conference that commenced on Thursday, themed ‘Reclaiming India’s Knowledge Legacy through Manuscript Heritage’, aims to unite prominent scholars, conservationists, technologists and policy makers.
PM Modi hails India's manuscript collection as civilizational treasure
Speaking at the event, PM Modi said it was not a government affair but a proclamation of Indian culture, literature and consciousness. He hailed India’s deeply rooted traditional knowledge. PM Modi said the knowledge was not only preserved after every generation, but also something new was added to it.
"Indian knowledge tradition is rich till date because it is based on 4 major pillars - preservation, innovation, addition and adaptation... Vedas are believed to be the foundation of Indian culture... They were preserved without any mistake... We continuously innovated in Ayurveda, Vastu Shatra, Astrology and Metallurgy generation-by-generation... Each generation not only preserved the existing knowledge, but added something new to it... We also self-introspected according to time and adapted to changes... Even during the middle age, great personalities emerged to awaken societal consciousness, preserve our heritage, and protect it. India’s cultural identity transcends modern concepts of nations," he said.
PM Modi said ancient manuscripts exist in 80 languages and reflect unity in diversity.
"Ancient manuscripts reflect this uninterrupted flow of India’s intellectual and cultural legacy... These manuscripts are letters declaring our unity in diversity. They exist in nearly 80 languages, encompassing an infinite ocean of knowledge in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi... The Gilgit Manuscript, for instance, provides an authentic history of Kashmir... All these manuscripts have the footprint of the progress path of entire mankind. Indian manuscripts reflect humanity’s journey, encompassing philosophy, science, medicine, metaphysics, art, astronomy, and architecture," he said.
PM Modi said India holds a big civilizational treasure in the form of these manuscripts.
“From mathematics to computer science, the foundation of modern knowledge rests on contributions like the concept of zero, discovered in India... Every country treasures its historical artifacts as symbols of civilization. India, with its vast manuscript collection, holds an unparalleled civilizational treasure, a source of pride for the nation," he added.
Ministry of Culture shares details of event
Earlier, the Ministry of Culture posted on X, divulging the details of the exhibition.
“For the first time in the three-day #GyanBharatam International Conference 2025, our invaluable repositories of knowledge such as 'Kautilya's Arthashastra', 'Ramayana (Sundarakanda)', and rare manuscripts like 'Gilgit' are being exhibited together here, offering a vivid glimpse into India's invaluable tradition of knowledge,” the post read.
