Bhubaneswar: Odisha has stepped up efforts to preserve its rich manuscript heritage, with a high-level review meeting on the survey, preservation, and digitisation of ancient palm-leaf manuscripts held at Lok Seva Bhawan under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Anu Garg on Saturday.
The meeting, attended by senior officials including Rashmita Panda and Deba Prasad Dash, focused on accelerating the ongoing national campaign under the Gyan Bharatam Mission.
Garg urged the public to voluntarily register ancient palm-leaf manuscripts and handwritten documents in their possession, emphasising their importance in preserving India’s cultural and intellectual heritage.
The mission aims to survey, collect, preserve, and digitise manuscripts scattered across the country and integrate them into a central National Digital Repository (NDR), making them accessible for research and future generations.
Officials informed that around 53,950 manuscripts have already been registered in Odisha. The Department of Odia Language, Literature and Culture is currently undertaking large-scale surveys and digitisation, prioritising religious institutions, heritage sites, and private collections that have responded to official outreach.
The survey, which began on March 16, 2026, will continue for three months. Authorities are also using the ‘Bharatam’ mobile application to facilitate registrations, while field teams will visit locations where individuals are unable to register digitally.
Special focus districts include Ganjam, Bhadrak, Cuttack, Nayagarh, and Puri, where a significant number of manuscripts have been identified.
To streamline operations, the Chief Secretary directed preparation of district-wise inventories and their handover to District Collectors. District-level committees will be formed, with District Culture Officers designated to coordinate survey activities and ensure regular monitoring.
The state government has also announced plans to establish a dedicated Palm-Leaf Manuscript Museum, aimed at strengthening long-term preservation and promoting Odisha’s knowledge traditions.
Officials clarified that manuscript owners unwilling to permanently part with their collections can either lend them temporarily to the State Museum for digitisation or allow teams to digitise them on-site.
