Name *

Email Address *

Phone *

Select *ExamUPSCUPPCSBPSC

Select *MediumEnglishHindi

Submit

National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was launched on February 7, 2003, by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Government of India. It was designed as a unique project aimed at identifying, documenting, conserving, and making accessible India’s rich manuscript heritage.

India is home to one of the largest manuscript collections in the world, estimated to be around ten million manuscripts. These manuscripts cover a wide range of themes, textures, aesthetics, languages, scripts, calligraphies, illuminations, and illustrations, making them a repository of knowledge that spans millennia.

What is the National Mission for Manuscripts?

National Mission for Manuscripts is an initiative launched by the Indian government to preserve and protect India’s manuscript heritage. Operating under the Department of Culture, with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) as the nodal agency, the mission aims to identify, catalog, conserve, and make accessible manuscripts from temples, libraries, museums, and private collections.

It was created in response to the deterioration of manuscripts stored in improper conditions. The mission seeks to retrieve and safeguard these invaluable historical records for public knowledge, as emphasized by former President Shri R. Venkataraman.

Role of National Mission for Manuscripts

National Mission for Manuscripts plays a vital role in preserving India’s rich literary heritage. The mission focuses on the following aspects:

• Identification and Documentation: Identifying and cataloging undiscovered manuscripts from temples, libraries, and private collections across India.

• Conservation and Preservation: Offering guidelines for the proper conservation and restoration of deteriorating manuscripts using modern techniques.

• Making Manuscripts Accessible: Digitizing preserved manuscripts and making them available to the public, ensuring scholars and researchers can access this invaluable knowledge.

• Raising Awareness: Encouraging institutions and individuals to contribute their manuscript collections and launching public campaigns to promote the importance of manuscript preservation and involve the community in the mission.

Also Read: Balika Samriddhi Yojana

National Mission for Manuscripts Structure

National Mission for Manuscripts is a major initiative under the Ministry of Culture, focused on the preservation and promotion of India’s manuscript heritage. Since April 2021, it has operated as an independent division of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). Oversight of the mission is provided by the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), which includes experts from various domains, ensuring effective direction and strategic guidance.

Members of the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC):

National Mission for Manuscripts Features

The National Mission for Manuscripts features a comprehensive approach to manuscript conservation. Some of the key features of the mission include:

• Digital Cataloguing: Creating a digital database of all manuscripts in India, making them easily accessible to scholars and researchers.

• Collaborative Effort: Involving institutions like libraries, universities, and religious organizations, along with experts in archaeology, conservation, and technology, to ensure effective preservation.

• Incorporating Modern Technology: Using scientific methods, including digitization, to conserve manuscripts and prevent further deterioration.

• Promoting Sanskrit: Emphasizing the learning and teaching of Sanskrit, as about 70% of manuscripts are in this ancient language, crucial to India’s cultural and philosophical heritage.

• Awareness and Advocacy: Launching campaigns to raise awareness about manuscript preservation and encouraging institutions to submit their collections for documentation and conservation.

Also Read: Swachh Bharat Mission

National Mission for Manuscripts Performance Summary

The National Mission for Manuscripts has made substantial progress in preserving and promoting India’s manuscript heritage. By establishing a robust network of institutions, resource centres, and databases, the mission has successfully ensured the documentation, conservation, and accessibility of invaluable manuscripts.

• Network Development: Established a network of partner institutions for manuscript documentation and preservation, including 57 Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs), 33 Manuscript Partner Centres (MPCs), and 50 Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs), with 30 currently operational.

• Manuscript Documentation: Documented 44.07 lakh manuscripts, creating the largest database of Indian manuscripts, with over 3.4 million entries in the web-based National Database.

• National Surveys & Research: Conducted a broad-based national survey covering 18 states and post-survey work in 8 additional states to gather comprehensive manuscript information.

• Conservation and Training: Developed standards for manuscript storage and preventive conservation, while training 6,870 individuals through 218 preventive and 28 curative conservation workshops.

• Digitization Efforts: Completed 1st to 4th phases of manuscript digitization, preserving 3.3 lakh manuscripts (3.3 crore pages) with the 5th phase currently in progress.

• Publications and Outreach: Published 55 critical editions of unpublished manuscripts, and launched a series of outreach programs, including 143 Tattvabodh lectures, 12 exhibitions, and various publications like Tattvavodha and Samiksika.

• Educational Initiatives: Built capacity in Manuscript Studies through short-term courses, advanced training, and critical editing projects, contributing to a resource pool of scholars in Manuscriptology and Paleography.

Also Read: Mechanical Engineering Optional Syllabus

National Mission for Manuscripts Objectives

The objectives of the National Mission for Manuscripts are outlined clearly in its mandate. They include:

• Conducting a national-level survey and post-survey to locate manuscripts and manuscript repositories.

• Documenting every manuscript and repository for a National Electronic Database, which currently holds information on four million manuscripts, making it the largest database of Indian manuscripts worldwide.

• Conserving manuscripts using both modern and traditional conservation methods, and training a new generation of manuscript conservators.

• Training the next generation of scholars in various aspects of Manuscript Studies, including languages, scripts, critical editing, cataloging, and conservation.

• Promoting access to manuscripts by digitizing rare and endangered manuscripts.

• Encouraging access to manuscripts through the publication of critical editions of unpublished works and catalogs.

• Facilitating public engagement with manuscripts through lectures, seminars, publications, and other outreach programs.

National Mission for Manuscripts UPSC

National Mission for Manuscripts is an important initiative to preserve and promote India’s rich manuscript heritage. For UPSC aspirants, understanding NMM’s role in conserving ancient texts, manuscripts, and knowledge systems is crucial, especially in the context of the General Studies Paper I (Indian Heritage and Culture).

The mission reflects India’s cultural and historical richness, fostering a deeper appreciation of traditional knowledge. Awareness of such programs helps aspirants develop a well-rounded understanding of India’s heritage, which is essential for the Mains and Interview stages, particularly in topics related to history, culture, and Indian society.

Are you preparing for UPSC 2025? Join IAShub’s UPSC coaching batches to boost your preparation. Enroll now!

National Mission for Manuscripts FAQs

What is the National Mission for Manuscripts?

National Mission for Manuscripts is an initiative by the Indian government to identify, document, conserve, and make accessible India's vast manuscript heritage, preserving invaluable cultural knowledge.

What is the role of the National Mission for Manuscripts?

National Mission for Manuscripts identifies, documents, conserves, and digitizes India's manuscript heritage, ensuring their preservation and accessibility. It raises awareness and promotes collaboration to safeguard valuable cultural knowledge for future generations.

Who oversees the National Mission for Manuscripts?

The mission is operated under the Department of Culture, with the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) serving as the nodal agency for its implementation.

What are the key objectives of the National Mission for Manuscripts?

The main objectives are to document and preserve manuscripts, promote conservation techniques, digitize manuscripts for wider access, and encourage awareness of manuscript preservation in India.

How does the National Mission for Manuscripts ensure manuscript preservation?

The mission provides technical support for manuscript conservation, including the use of modern scientific techniques and technology to restore and preserve these invaluable documents for future generations.