KARNATAKA MYSURU 17/04/2025:
N.K. Lokanath, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore, and others, at the signing of the MoU with Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham on cataloguing of 13,000 unpublished manuscripts at ORI in Mysuru on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM
Nearly 13,000 unpublished manuscripts with the Oriental Research Institute (ORI), whose contents are not known to the world, will be catalogued and published in an initiative that may provide valuable historical, cultural, and linguistic insights.
In connection with this, the ORI, which is affiliated to the University of Mysore, signed an MoU with Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Mahasamsthana Dakshinamnaya Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri, here on Thursday.
The Sringeri Sharada Peetham, also known as the Sringeri Mutt, will fully fund the project, which will cost ₹92.40 lakh.
As per the agreement reached between the ORI and Sringeri Mutt, it has been decided that the scholars will prepare a descriptive catalogue (Manuscripts Descriptive Catalogue) of approximately 13,000 unpublished manuscripts, print selected works in book form, and also undertake digitisation of catalogues in the form of a searchable database.
M.K. Savitha, Registrar of the University of Mysore, and P.A. Murali, administrator of Sri Sringeri Sharada Peetham, signed the mutual agreement for this project. On this occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, N.K. Lokanath, the Director of the Oriental Research Institute, D.P. Madhusudhanacharya, and scholars from both institutions were present.
Dr. Madhusudhanacharya said these 13,000 manuscripts contain both printed material and palm leaf manuscripts. They have been acquired by the ORI over the last 50 years and preserved, but they are yet to be catalogued.
“Hence, nobody knows the content of the manuscripts, and it could as well turn out to be something which will alter or reshape our understanding of India’s past,” he added. It could also shed light or offer a new perspective on the development of thought and philosophy of India,” Dr. Madhusudhanacharya said.
Six scholars have been roped in for the purpose, and the project is expected to be completed in three years. These 13,000 manuscripts have already been digitised under another project, which is funded by the Mythic Society of Bengaluru.
The ORI is the custodian of nearly 15,000 bundles of palm leaf manuscripts, which contain over 70,000 manuscripts and works encapsulating various fields and branches of subjects, constituting a slice of India’s intellectual heritage.
Published – April 17, 2025 06:56 pm IST
