90 ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

AbstractThe glorious past of Indian culture lies in the ancientmanuscripts. These are the basic historical evidence andhave great research value. It is estimated that Indiapossesses more than five million manuscripts, makingher the largest repository of manuscript wealth in theworld. Though our ancestors had tried to preserve thesemanuscripts, thousands of such valued unpublishedIndian manuscripts on varied subjects are lying scatteredor fragmented in India and foreign collections and someof these are no longer accessible to research scholars.This invaluable and unique pool of knowledge is underthreat and manuscripts are disappearing at an alarmingrate.

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA)was established in 1987. Kala Nidhi, a NationalInformation System and Data Bank, consists of thereference library of print collections, a large library ofMicrofilms/Microfiches, collection of slides, culturalarchives and photo documentation in the disciplines ofArts and Archaeology. Recognizing the need toencompass and preserve this knowledge resource andto make these accessible to scholars and researchers,IGNCA had initiated the most important manuscript-microfilming programme in 1989.

The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) wasestablished in February 2003, by the Ministry of Tourismand Culture, Government of India. A unique project in itsprogramme and mandate, the Mission seeks to unearthand preserve the vast manuscript wealth of India. In thispaper the following topics have been discussed:

(1) Definition of manuscript, (2) tradition of preservationand access in India, (3) institutional and individual effortsin the fields of preservation and access in India, (4)Initiatives taken by IGNCA and NMM, and (5) emergingscenario in the 21st Century: prospects and challenges

What is a Manuscript?Etymologically, manuscript means something that ishand written. Here the term manuscript is related toantiquity not necessarily means the write up submittedby an author to a publisher. The Antiquities and Art

Preservation and Access to Indian Manuscripts : A KnowledgeBase of Indian Cultural Heritage Resources for Academic Libraries

Dr. Ramesh C GaurPGDCA, MLISc, Ph.D. Fulbright Scholar (Virginia Tech, USA)

Librarian & Head-Kala Nidhi DivisionDirector, National Mission for Manuscripts

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts(IGNCA), New Delhi, Indiagaur@ignca.nic.in; rcgaur@bol.net.in

Mrinmoy ChakrabortyAssistant Editor

National Mission for ManusriptsIndira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts(IGNCA), New Delhi, India

mrinmoychak@indiatimes.com

Treasures Act, 1972 lays down the legal frameworkfor custody of manuscripts. Antiquities, defined underthe Act include any manuscript, record or otherdocument which is of scientific, historical, literary oraesthetic value and which has been in existence fornot less than seventy-five years. If this definition istaken into consideration in phase value, a manuscriptmeans

1. a hand written document2. which has scientific, historical, literary or aesthetic

value and3. which is at least seventy-five year old.

Tradition of Preservation and Access in IndiaIn one of the surveys made by Dr. S. C. Biswas andMr. M. K. Prajapati on behalf of INTACH during 1988-90 and on the basis of scrutiny of about 1100 printedcatalogues and hand lists belonging to 70 libraries,institutions and individuals, the following estimateswere made:

1. Total number of manuscripts in 5,000,000India

2. Indian manuscripts available inEuropean countries 60,000

3. Indian manuscripts in South Asia 150,000and Asian Countries

4. Number of manuscripts recorded 1,000,000in catalogues

5. Percentage of manuscriptslanguages wiseSanskrit 67%Other Indian Languages 25%Arabic/Persian/Tibetan 8%

(Source: Project Document, NMM, 2003)

91STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES RAMESH C. GAUR AND MRINMOY CHAKRABORTY

To meet the twin objective of preservation and access,Indians resorted to a comprehensive policy ofpreparing manuscript, starting with seasoning andprocessing of the material and treating the materialwith eco-friendly insecticides to careful storage. It maybe followed that the life of a palm leaf manuscript isfar longer than a modern day device like CD ormicrofilm. The tradition of manuscript preparation,preservation and coping continued in full strength tillthe end of the 19th Century. The downfall started sincethe beginning of the 20th Century when printed booksstarted to gain popularity. After Independence, i.e. thesecond half of the 20th Century, the old tradition ceasedto be practiced and it took a long time to adopt andutilize a new practice to preserve manuscripts. It isprimarily because of this vacuum or otherwise in thistransitory period after Tndependence that the half ofthe manuscript reserve in the country was lost.

Modern Concept of Preservation andAccessAwakened by the alarming rate of destruction ofmanuscripts, modern devices and techniques arebeing developed and utilized. In IGNCA, for example,there is a conservation wing to provide preventive andcurative conservation treatment to original manuscriptor source. Again, IGNCA resorts to microfilming topreserve the content of a manuscript. For access,digitized copy of a manuscript is more convenient,and the NMM has launched digitization project in amassive way; the culmination of which can be seenin the establishment of the National Digital Library inIGNCA. It may be relevant here to mention that as themicrofilm ensures durability, it is better than the digitalcopy so far as the preservation aspect is concerned.On the other hand, digital copy proves to be handy toprovide efficient access. Therefore it can be followedthat to ensure the preservation and access tomanuscripts techniques and devises like preventiveand curative treatment of original manuscript,microfilming and digitization are resorted to. Besidesthese, publication of the facsimile copy of themanuscript, with or without translation/andtransliteration is another important medium thatensures preservation and access. Realizing the needof publication, many an institute such as IGNCA iscoming forward to publish the unpublishedmanuscripts.

Institutional and Individual Efforts in theFields of Preservation and Access in India(Historical Perspective)With increasing popularity of printed books the interestfor collecting and preserving of manuscripts gainedground in India. Some famous bibliophiles andinstitutions built up their collections and as a resultlarge repositories of manuscripts emerged and haveplayed a significant role in preservation and accessto manuscripts in India.

The credit of compiling the earliest known catalogueof manuscripts in India goes to the Jains. As per theavailable information, the earliest catalogue ofmanuscripts was compiled under the tit le,Brihattipanika, as early as 1383 by a Jain monk, whosename is not known. The Brihattipanik, covers somemanuscripts in the collections in several places, suchas Patan, Cambey and Bharauch. It furnishes data ofauthors names, time and grantha-parimana (extentof texts). The manuscript of this catalogue is stillpreserved in the Shaninatha Bhandara. Next Thecelebrated name of the monastic Kavindracharya ofVaranasi (Kashi) . comes Kavindracharya built up agood library of manuscripts. He compiled his subject-wise classified catalogue of 2192 manuscripts between1628 and 1688.

Collecting manuscripts from various regions andtraditions and collating them for the purpose of fixinga particular text or writing commentaries were notunknown in ancient and medieval India. Since the latemedieval period, the emperors of Delhi and rulers ofdifferent states all over India took keen interest incollecting and preserving manuscripts. Among theindependent rulers, Tippu Sultan of Mysore (18th cent.C.E.) built up a library of oriental manuscripts in Arabic,Persian and Hindustani languages. After his defeatand death, while fighting with the British forces, hislibrary was taken over by the Britishers. Themanuscripts from Tippus library were studied andcatalogued by General Charles Stewart; the Cataloguewas published from Cambridge (A DescriptiveCatalogue of the Oriental Library of the Late TippuSultan of MysoreCambridge: University Press,1809). Native rulers under the paramountcy of the EastIndia Company and subsequently of the British RoyalGovernment, collected manuscripts and built uplibraries. Enlightened rulers of Travancore, Cochin andMysore are celebrated names in this field. TheTravancore Palace Library collection was started byMaharaja Vishakham Tirunal (1880-1885). Themanuscripts collected and preserved in this Librarywere subsequently catalogued by eminent traditionalSanskrit scholars, such as K. Sambasiva Sastri andK. Mahadeva Sastri, and a catalogue in 8 volumeswas published (A Descriptive Catalogue of the SanskritManuscripts in H.H. the Maharajahs Palace Library,Trivandrum. Trivandrum: V.V. Press Branch, 1937-38).In this regard, it should be mentioned that anotherimportant collection of Sanskrit manuscripts was builtup by the Government of Trivancore in the CuratorsOffice Library and a catalogue in ten volumes wasedited by K. Sambasiva Sastri, K. Mahadeva Sastri,P.K. Narayana Pillai and L.A. Ravi Verma (ADescriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts in theCurators Office Library, Trivandrum, V.V. PressBranch, 1937-1941).Rulers of Bikaner and Jodhpur also collectedmanuscripts which have been, however, documentedat much later date. The contribution of the Dogra rulersof Jammu and Kashmir in this field is also noteworthy.

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The British rulers who took upon themselves the causeof education and patronizing Indian traditionalknowledge systems, directed their attention towardsthe Indian literary heritage preserved in themanuscripts. Since the inception of the AsiaticSociety in Calcutta, in 1785, systematic search,survey, collection and documentation of manuscriptswere started. Several government collections graduallycame into existence, in Calcutta, Varanasi, Pune andMadras.

Extensive survey of and search for manuscripts werecarried on by Indian and European experts in variousregions of the country in 19th and 20th Century. Surveyand search were carried in Bengal, western, centraland northern regions.

In Western Region, G. Buehlar, F. Kielhorn, PeterPeterson, R.G. Bhandarkar, S.R. Bhandarkar were thepioneers in the field. Their tour reports containdescription of manuscripts. A few of these reports arementioned below:

1. Report of Georg Buehlers tour in SouthernMaratha in search of Sanskrit manuscripts for theGovt. of Bombay, 12th Feb. 1867, contains thedescription of 200 mss. (Pub. in ZDMG);

2. Detailed Report of a tour (by G. Buehler) in searchof Sanskrit mss. made in Kashmir, Rajputana andCentral India (Pub. in two parts, 1877)

3. F. Keilhorn published in 1874, SupplimentaryCatalogue of Sanskrit works in the SaraswatiBhandaram Library of the Maharaja of Mysore.

4. His two lists of Sanskrit Manuscripts purchasedfor the Government (of Bombay), during the years1877/78, 1879/80 (Pub. 1881) are very important.

5. A Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts existing inthe Central Provinces; prepared by order of E.Willmot, edited by F. Kielhorn (Pub. Nagpur:Government Book Depot, 1874)

The Deccan College of Poona gradually developed averitable repository of Indic manuscripts. Thepreliminary cataloguing of the Deccan College wasdone by G. Buehler and F. Kielhorn, as for example:

6. Three lists of Mss. in the Deccan College and theElphinston College collections by G. Buehler (Pub.1874/1875).

7. Peter Petersons Report of operations in searchof Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Bombay circle:Four Reports 1883, 1884, 1887, 1894 (Pub. inbook form in 1899).

8. R.G. Bhandarkar. Report to K.M.Chatfield.Poona as regards the search ofSanskrit Manuscripts (1880).

9. R.G. Bhandarkar. List of Sanskrit Manuscripts inprivate libraries in the Bombay Presidency, (1883).

10. R.G. Bhandarkar. Another Report on Sanskrit

Manuscripts in the Bombay Presidency, 1881-1901.

11. A Catalogue of the Collections of Manuscriptsdeposited in the Deccan College, Poona, from1868 to 1884.compiled by S.R. Bhandarkar(Pub. Bombay: Govt. Central Press, 1888).

12. Reports on search of SanskritManuscripts..through Central India, CentralProvinces and Rajputana by S.R. Bhandarkarduring 1904 and 1905.

13. Report on Sanskrit Manuscripts in six privatelibraries (in the Delhi District) by Kashinath Kunte(1882).

In Eastern Region, Raja Rajendralala Mitra andMahamohapadhyaya Haraprasada Sastri are the mostcelebrated names in the field of search, survey andcataloguing of manuscripts in the eastern zone. Wehave already mentioned the earliest catalogue ofmanuscripts from Calcutta (i.e. RamagovindaTarkaratnas Suchipatram, 1838). Rajendralala Mitrastarted working in this field in the early second half ofthe 19th Century.

14. Mitra published as early as 1877, A DescriptiveCatalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Libraryof the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Part-1: Grammar(Pub. Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press).

15. B. H. Hodgson of the British Residency inKathmandu (Nepal) brought a collection ofManuscripts of Sanskrit Buddhist Literature whichhe presented to the Asiatic Society of Bengal.Mitra compiled a detailed descriptive work on thiscollection, under the title, The Sanskrit BuddhistLiterature of Nepal (Pub. Calcutta: Baptist MissionPress, 1882).

16. Most outstanding work of Raja Rajendralala Mitrais the Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (depositedin the Library of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,Calcutta or in other collections). First series: Vols.1-11. Published under order of Govt. of Bengal(Calcutta: Baptist Mission Press, 1871-1895). Onthe demise of Rajendralala Mitra, Mm.Haraprasada Sastri took up the Project andpublished the Second series in four volumes (1898-1911)

17. The Asiatic Society of Calcutta (earlier known asAsiatic Society of Bengal) started compiling andpublishing excellent descriptive catalogues ofSanskrit, vernacular and Arabic, Persian and Urdumanuscripts preserved under the Societys caresince the last quarter of the 19th century. Mitrasfirst catalogue, published in 1877 was followedby a long series of catalogues of manuscripts.The catalogues published by the Society are thebest specimens of descriptive cataloguing in India.The first volume in this series appeared as earlyas 1895 (the volume number was changed andthe contents revised later on). The Series

93STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES RAMESH C. GAUR AND MRINMOY CHAKRABORTY

continued till recently. The Sanskrit manuscriptshave been described in 14 volumes, the latestfasc. having been published in 1887. Scholarssuch as Mm. Haraprasada Sastri, HrishikeshSastri, Sivachandra Guin, Nilamani Chakravarti,Bhavabhuti Vidyaratna, Ashutosh Tarkatirtha,Nanigopal Banerji, Jogendranath Gupta, NarendraChandra Vedantatirtha, Chintaharan Chakravarti,Satyaranjan Banerji, et al. have been thecompilers and editors of different volumes.Besides, the Society has brought out quite a fewvolumes of catalogues of Rajasthani, Bengali,Assamese, Tibetan, Arabic, Persian and Urdumanuscripts.

18. Government Sanskrit College in Kolkata has been,since its inception, a rich repository of Sanskritmanuscripts and published a series of cataloguesin ten volumes between 1895 and 1909, and againstarted a revised series since 1956.

In Southern Region, the most important and richrepository of manuscripts is the Government OrientalManuscripts Library in Chennai.The nucleus of thevast collection of manuscripts in this Library is formedby three collections of Colonel Colin Mackenzie (1754-1821), Dr. Leyden and C.P. Brown (1798-1855).Mackenzie took his collection to Calcutta and wenton adding to it till his death in 1821. This collectionwas examined by H.H. Wilson, the then Secretary tothe Asiatic Society, who compiled a descriptivecatalogue of the collection which was published bythe Society in Calcutta in 1828. Subsequently a partof this collection was brought to Madras by the EastIndia Company. Dr. Leyden collected somemanuscripts between 1803 and 1811 which wasdeposited in the India House Library of London. C.P.Brown noticed this collection in 1837 and thanks tohis efforts it was brought to India. Browns owncollection of Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu manuscripts,which was presented to the East India Company wasbrought to India in 1855. All these three collectionswere first deposited in the College Library, Madrasand then shifted to the Government Oriental ManuscriptLibrary when it was founded in 1869. The collectiongrew rapidly during the last 140 years. The presentholding of Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi,Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Sinhalese and othermanuscripts comprises 72,000 manuscripts. The firstcatalogue of manuscripts in Madras Mackenziecollection was compiled by Gustav Opert in 1878.Since then, almost a hundred volumes of catalogueshave been published by the Library.

Next to GOML, Chennai, mention must be made ofthe Thanjavur Maharaja Serfojis Saraswati MahalLibrary. The Nayaka and Maratha rulers of Thanjavurhad always been great patrons of art and literature.The Library was first conceived by the Nayaka kings(1535-1676) and further developed by the Maratha kings(1676-1855). It was known as the Royal Palace Libraryof Tanjore. The first Index of Sanskrit manuscripts was

prepared by Arthur Coke Burnell (Pub. A ClassifiedIndex to Sanskrit Manuscripts in the Palace at Tanjore.London: Truebner, 1880). In 1918, the Royal familymade it a public library which became known asThanjavur Maharaja Serfojis Saraswati Mahal Library.The Library possesses very valuable and some veryrare manuscripts collected since the medieval period.Between 1928 and 1952, twenty seven volumes ofdescriptive catalogues (29 vols. Sanskrit, 3 vols.Tamil, 4 vols. Marathi, 2 vols. Telugu and 1 vol. Modi).The former princely State of Mysore, now Karnataka,has rich heritage of manuscripts in government andprivate collections. Tippu Sultans collection hasalready been mentioned. The first known cataloguefrom Mysore is Catalogue of Sanskrit Manuscripts inseveral private collections in Mysore and Coorg;compiled by Lewis Rice (Pub. Bangalore: MysoreGovt. Press, 1884). Then come the Catalogue ofSanskrit works in the Saraswati Bhandaram Libraryalready described. The richest repository ofManuscripts in the state is the Oriental ResearchInstitute, now under the University of Mysore. TheLibrary was established by Chamaraja Wodeyar, thethen Maharaja of Mysore, in 1891, then named as theGovernment Oriental Library, and later on renamedas the Oriental Research Institute in 1916. Themanuscripts preserved in the Institute have beencollected during the last one hundred years fromdifferent parts of the State. The Institute has publishedDescriptive Catalogue of Sanskrit manuscripts in 16volumes (1978-1990). Besides, the Institute has toits credit more than two hundred works, mostlypublished for the first time, edited from the manuscriptspreserved in the Institute.

The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute of Punepossesses one of the most important and valuablecollections of manuscripts in India. The total numberof manuscripts in this collection is estimated to be28,000. In 1868 the then Government of BombayPresidency appointed George Buehler and FranzKielhorn to search for and collect manuscripts fromthe Presidency and other areas. The work wascontinued by other scholars such as R.G. Bhandarkar,Peter Peterson, Kathawate, S.R. Bhandarkar, K.B.Pathak and V.S. Ghate till 1915. The scholarsmentioned above prepared and published reports ontheir activities and acquisitions from time to time, someof which have been detailed above. The manuscriptshad been initially deposited in the Elphinstone Collegeof Bombay, and subsequently the whole collectionwas shifted to the Deccan College, Pune in 1878.When the Bhandarkar Oriental Institute of Pune wasestablished the collection of some 20,000manuscripts, known as the Government Collectionwas shifted to the Institute and placed under thesupervision of Prof. P.K. Gode, the first curator. Incourse of time about 8,000 were added. Cataloguingof the manuscripts was undertaken in early 19thcentury by various professors and curators and the

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first volume of the Descriptive Catalogue appeared in1916. Till 1957, ninteen volumes of subject-wiseclassified catalogues have been published by theInstitute.

In Kerala, the biggest collection of manuscripts ishoused in the Oriental Manuscripts Library andResearch Institute in which earlier collections ofSanskrit and Malayalam manuscripts have beenmerged. The uniqueness of this collection lies in theworks on continued literary compositions of Kerala,Musicology, Performing arts such as Kathakali andKutiyattam, etc.

The writer of these lines is aware of the fact he couldtouch only the tip of the iceberg. He looks forward toan opportunity to describe the history of survey andcataloguing of manuscripts in other regions,particularly Jain Bhandaras, Libraries of Arabic,Persian and Urdu manuscripts, and microfilm projectsof Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts coveringimportant manuscript collections in India and outside.

Availability and Cataloguing of IndianManuscripts outside IndiaOutside India, Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit manuscriptsare available in almost all the famous libraries inEurope, Japan, Srilanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh,Thailand, Myanmar, et al. At Bibliotheque Nationale,France cataloguing of manuscripts started inEighteenth Century and the first catalogue, CatalogusCodicum Manuscriptorum Bibliothecae regiae, waspublished under the supervision of Stephen Fourmontin 1739.This series continued for a long time andDepartment des Manuscripts Catalogue Somaire desManuscrits Sanskrits et Palis published cataloguesin 1806, 1844, 1854, 1880, 1882 and 1907-08.

Tuebingen University (Germany), St. PetersbourgAcademy and Bodleian Library were in forefront inpublishing catalogues of Indian manuscripts. A largenumber of Indian manuscripts are there in the custodyof various institutes and libraries in Germany, Englandand France.

Major Initiatives in Independent IndiaNational Archives of India (NAI)The core mandate of NAI is to function as a centralrepository of pubic records. However, NAI has alsotaken some initiatives for preservation and catalogingof manuscripts. NAI has been implementing a projectcalled National Register of Private records since 1957.Under this project NAI undertakes surveys and listingof private papers, manuscripts and historicaldocuments in the possession of individuals, NGOs,churches, temples and mutts in collaboration withState Archives Departments. The information socollected is published on a regular basis. NationalArchives has published 19 volumes of the NationalRegister of Private Records till date, containing over

34,000 entries. The volumes contain lists ofdocuments from Rajasthan, Karnataka, Orissa,Punjab, Tamilnadu, Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Jammu andKashmir, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, ArunanchalPradesh and West Bengal. However, this database isneither a comprehensive reference guide aboutmanuscripts nor does it provide the necessary levelof details about the nature of manuscripts or theirpreservation status. Apart from the publication ofNational Register of Private Records, NAI implementsthe following two schemes:

1. Scheme of Financial Assistance to State/UnionTerritories Archival Repositories, GovernmentLibraries and Museum and

2. Scheme of Financial Assistance for preservationof Manuscripts/Rare Books.

Under these schemes funds are provided to the stategovernments archival repositories, museums,libraries, voluntary organizations, educationalinstitutions, Temples, Mutts and individuals onmatching basis. While the institutions of the stategovernments are eligible for a grant of Rs. one million,the maximum grant to individuals and privateinstitutions is limited to Rs. 0.2 million per annum.

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage(INTACH)In 2001 INTACH has launched project for theconservation of manuscripts. The aim of the survey isalso to enhance awareness amongst owners aboutthe deteriorating condition of manuscripts and theneed for preventive conservation. Under this project,a surveyor of temples and granthagars is beingundertaken along with the preparation of aconservation status report for each manuscript in theircollection. Some institutions and temples surveyedunder this project are Dwarkadheesh SanskritAcademy, Dwarka, Sandipani Vidya Niketan,Porbandar, Somnath Temple, N.C.Mehta Gallery,Ahemdabad, L.D. Institute of Indology, Ahemdabadand Jain temples at Gwalior and Shivpuri. Besidesthis, INTACH is also implementing a project todocument manuscripts dispersed in villages and townsof Orissa in collaboration with the Government ofOrissa. INTACH has already surveyed more than 300sites in three districts and prepared an inventory ofabout 47,000 palm leaf and paper manuscripts.

Museums and Libraries under Department ofCultureThe Manuscripts available with some of followingorganizations under Ministry of Culture, Governmentof India are as indicated below:

Organization Number ofManuscripts

1. Rampur Raza Library 15,0002. Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library 20,0603. Asiatic Society, Kolkata 32,000

95STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES RAMESH C. GAUR AND MRINMOY CHAKRABORTY

4. National Library, Kolkata 3,2585. Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh10,0006. Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies,

Sarnath 1,0287. Salar Jung Museum, Hydrabad 10,000Though the resource base and information aboutmanuscript with autonomous organization funded bythe Department of Culture is quite vast, there has beenno systematic attempt by these organizations toconsolidate the database into subject catalogues.State Archives, State Libraries and State MuseumsAccording to information compiled by IGNCA, theholdings of some of the major state-administeredinstitutions are as follows:

Organization Number ofManuscripts

Adyar Library and Research Centre, 40,000Chennai

Andhra Pradesh Oriental Manuscripts 23,115Library and Research Institute(Shiftedto Osmania University Campus)Delhi Archives 171

Goa Central Library 50

Government Manuscript Library, Allahabad 11,000

Manipur State Archives 334

Manipur State Kala Academy 1636

Oriental Institute and Manuscript Library, 56,000Thiruvananthpuram (Kerala)Orissa State Archives 5,000

Orissa State Museum 37,000

Rajasthan State Archives, Bikaner 14,000Rajasthan Oriental Research Institute 1,16,123(Jodhpur with 8 branches)State Archives, J & K 1,000

State Central Library, Hyderabad 17,000

The State Archives of Andhra Pradesh 6,209

TMSSM Library, Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) 47,625Manuscript holdings with State Government runinstitutions are widely distributed. However, informationis not readily available regarding the extent to whichthese manuscripts are catalogued, scientificallypreserved and made accessible to scholars.

UniversitiesUniversities are key players in the overall strategy forprotecting the nations written heritage. A number ofold universities are known to have substantial

collections of manuscripts. These universities receivelimited funding and are unable to commit the regularfunds required for cataloguing, preservation anddissemination. Equally, potential readers from a non-university environment are often unaware of the natureand accessibility of universities collections forresearch. Some of the major universities withsubstantial collections of manuscripts are indicatedbelow:

Organization Number ofManuscripts

Aligarh Muslim University (UP) 12,000Andhra University Library (AP) 3,000Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi (UP) 10,500Bhanderkar Oriental Research Institute 20,000(Pune)Gauwhati University (Assam) 3,248Kameshwr Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit 13,000University (Bihar)Kurukshetra University (Haryana) 5,500GOML, University of Madras (Tamil Nadu) 72,620Osmania University Library (Andhra Pradesh) 6,428Patan University (Gujarat) 3,700Poona University (Maharashtra) 4,416Punjab University (Punjab) 18,395Sampurnanda Sanskrit University, 1,40,000Varanasi (UP)Sanskrit Academy, Osmania University 3,000(Andhra Pradesh)Shivaji University Library, Kolhapur 5,673(Maharashtra)Tamil University, Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu) 3,365University of Calcutta (West Benbal) 42,000Utkal University (Orissa) 3,053Vishwabharati University (West Bengal) 15,354Voluntary Bodies, Trusts, Temples and IndividualsHundreds of societies, trusts and voluntary bodiesthroughout the country, often with no permanent staffor premises, have a substantial number of manuscriptsin their possession. While many of them, are relativelywell organized, many more are, unaware of the basicneed for record management and professional care.In most cases where such organizations need (orchoose) to retain their archives, grant-aid for suchpurpose is hard to come by. Nonetheless, the NationalArchives of India/National Mission for Manuscriptsendeavors to meet their minimal requirement and toensure reasonable standards of care through its

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schemes. There are a number of religiousorganizations such as churches, mutts and templesthat have traditionally been in possession ofmanuscripts. Many of them receive grants from theNational Archives/National Mission for Manuscripts forpreservation activities. There is another category ofprivately owned records and manuscripts about which,not much information was available till recent past.The owners of private collections need advice andguidance about the care of their records in situ if theydesire to retain them.

Initiatives at Indira Gandhi National Centre for theArts (IGNCA)Recognizing the need to encompass and preserve thisknowledge resource and to make these accessibleto scholars and researchers, Indira Gandhi NationalCentre for the Arts (IGNCA) initiated the mostimportant manuscript-microfilming programme in 1989.It has approached many of the private and publicinstitutions and individuals who are in possession ofvaluable manuscripts preferably in Sanskrit Languageand has signed Memorandum of Understanding witheach of them for microfilming of their manuscripts.IGNCA has, so far, microfilmed over 2.5 lakhmanuscripts. Out of the total of over 20,600 microfilmrolls, 17087 rolls have been digitized and 13803 rollsduplicated. Some of the reprographic material ofvarious primary and secondary texts has also beenobtained from many foreign institutions includingBibliotheque Nationale (Paris), Cambridge UniversityLibrary (Cambridge, UK), Staatsbibliothek (Berlin),INION (Russia), Wellcome Institute for the History ofMedicine (London), and India Office Library & Records(London).

Access to IGNCA Manuscripts Collection

Scholars and researchers can access the microfilm/microfiche collection at the IGNCA and they can alsoobtain copies, subject to copyright restrictions, andindeed the conditions spelt out in the MoU signedbetween IGNCA and concerned manuscript Library.As a general practice, one needs to seek permissionof concerned library to obtain a copy of the manuscriptfrom IGNCA Collection. Copies are being madeavailable in digital / microfilm / print formats on chargebasis. The consultation to all above manuscripts atIGNCA Reference Library is open to all without anycharges. Online catalogue of these manuscripts inMARC 21 will be made available soon. More detailsregarding above collection and its access can be hadfrom www.ignca.nic.in

National Mission for Manuscripts, IGNCA, NewDelhiThe National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) is thefirst consolidated national effort for reclaiming Indiasinheritance of knowledge contained in the vast treasureof manuscripts. The Mission was established in 2003by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture with IndiraGandhi National Centre for the Arts as its nodal

agency. The major objectives of the Mission arel Survey, document and catalogue Indian

manuscripts, in India and abroad, and compile aNational Database

l Facilitate conservation and preservation ofmanuscripts through training, awareness buildingand financial support

l Provide ready access to these manuscriptsthrough digitization and publication

l Promote scholarship and research in the studyof Indian languages and manuscriptology

l Set up a National Manuscripts Library at the IndiraGandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi

The Mission functions through different types of centresestablished throughout the country to materializethese objectives. There are 46 Manuscript ResourceCentres (MRC-s), 33 Manuscript Conservation Centres(MCC-s), 42 Manuscript Partner Centres (MPC-s) and300 Manuscript Conservation Partner Centres (MCPC-s)

Documentation

One of the major objectives of the NMM is to unearthinformation about manuscripts, where, whichmanuscript is and in what condition. The NationalMission for Manuscripts engaged itself with thedetailed documentation of the manuscripts in India,by creating a National Catalogue of Manuscriptsknown as Kritisampada: the National Database ofManuscripts provides information of manuscripts frominstitutions religious, cultural and educational, aswell as private collections across the country, andalso from Indian collections abroad. Survey isconducted to gather information about repositories,Post Survey exercises are designed to documentinformation about every individual manuscript. TheMission endeavors to provide complete and validinformation about each manuscript. This database canbe searched at http://www.namami.org/pdatabase.aspx

Documentation through digitization

l Digitization of manuscripts as means of protectingand documenting textual heritage has emergedas an important field in recent times. With theadvancement of information technology,digitization promises documentation andpreservation of original texts, facilitating at thesame time, greater access for scholars andresearchers. In 2004, the Mission had initiated aPilot Project of Digitization, aiming at digitizingseveral caches of manuscripts across the country.In 2006, the Pilot Project has been completed,with the Mission setting standards and guidelinesfor digitization. New projects have beenundertaken up, targeting some of the most

97STATUS OF ACADEMIC LIBRARIES RAMESH C. GAUR AND MRINMOY CHAKRABORTY

important manuscript collections of the country. So far NMM has digitized more than 26000manuscripts from different manuscriptsrepositories in India.

l Digitization of New Catalogus Catalogorumvolumes The Mission, in collaboration withUniversity of Madras, Chennai is currentlydigitizing the existing volumes of New CatalogusCatalogorum (NCC). We have already digitized 5books and the project is expected to be completeby the end of the year. In the next phase,

l The Mission plans to digitize 500 manuscriptseach in 50 important repositories across thecountry.

l The Manuscript Treasures of India The Missionalso plans to digitize 45 most valuable and raremanuscripts in the country.

Manuscriptology and PaleographyAs a significant part of the Missions initiatives togenerate skilled researchers in manuscript studies,workshops are organized all across the country,promoting the knowledge and expertise in regionalscripts as well as the classical ones. The MRCs ofthe regions are taken as coordinating bodies for theworkshops at the state level. In other instances,institutions of repute in the states are brought in withinthe fold, organize the workshops. Practically eachaspect of manuscript studies are dealt with in theseworkshops, spanning reading of scripts, classical andvernacular, collation, editing, preparation of indices aswell as aspects of conservation and preservation. TheMission conducts two types of courses - Basic Leveland Advanced Level courses.

Basic level courses are organised for a period of twoto three weeks at different parts of the country incollaboration with an MRC or other institutions ofrepute. The course familiarises students with localscript prevalent in their area as well as ancient scriptslike Modi, Grantha, Gaudi, Tilagari and Persian. Inaddition, the course covers aspects of critically editingtexts and their cataloguing, history of writing, basicconservation and storage of manuscripts and use ofinformation technology in manuscript preservation andresearch.

The Mission conducts Advanced Level courses onManuscriptology and Palaeography of one and half totwo months duration. In these Advanced Levelcourses, about 30 to 35 best students from amongthe participants in the Basic Level Manuscriptologycourses are given intensive training on select scripts,as well as grounding and practical training intranscription, collation and critical editing. Variousaspects of conservation and preservation ofmanuscripts are also included. The faculty consistsof the senior scholars in the country representingdifferent disciplines in Manuscriptology andPalaeography.

Besides these, a number of institutes and Universitieshave introduced Manuscriptology as a subject indegree and masters level and also started diplomacourse with cooperation from NMM.

Emerging Scenario in the 21st Century:Prospects and ChallengesOne of our major misfortunes is that we have lost somuch of the worlds ancient literature in Greece, inIndia and elsewhere.Probably an organized searchfor old manuscripts in the libraries of religiousinstitutions, monasteries and private persons wouldyield rich results. That, and the critical examinationof these manuscripts and, where considered desirable,their publication and translation, are among the manythings we have to do in India when we succeed inbreaking through our shackles and can function forourselves. Such a study is bound to through light onmany phases of Indian history and especially on thesocial background behind historic events and changingideas. This was the dream of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehruwhich is enshrined in his Discovery of India.

Manuscripts, which contain centuries of accruedknowledge in such areas as philosophy, sciences,literature, arts and the pluralistic faith systems of Indiaare more than just historical records. They representthe collective wisdom and experience of generationsof thinkers. In fact the entire gamut of history is leftunexplored or partially explored in manuscripts. Sowhat is badly needed is that:

1. The information about the Indian manuscriptsavailable in institutions and libraries must be madeavailable in India along with digital copies andmicrofilms of the content

2. Conservation treatment should be given on warfooting to the manuscripts available in the custodyof the individuals and institutions in remote areas.

3. To speed up digitization of manuscripts4. To give emphasis on the publication of unpublished

manuscripts and launch effective researchprojects and bring the knowledge content of themanuscripts in the knowledge cycle

5. Find out the way and explore the knowledgeavailable in manuscripts to utilize the same forsustainable development of the mankind.

6. Indian manuscript Libraries/Archives both thosein public and those in private domain contain veryvaluable knowledge base, it is unique,irreplaceable and superior in quantity and qualityto any other archival source. The recentlydeveloped technologies of digitization, if wiselycombined with scholarship are offering cheap andefficient methods of preservation, which wouldpermit India to collect this documentation in acentral database and provide this material to theinterested scholars worldwide in an easilyaccessible format.

98 ICAL 2009 VISION AND ROLES OF THE FUTURE ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

7. In India a large number of digitization of manuscriptprojects undertaken by various institutions suchas Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts(IGNCA), Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library,Patna etc have not delivered desired resultsbecause of lack of appropriate archiving system.Digital data are vulnerable, much more so thanthe originals. Digitization Projects often start withtemporary grants and focus upon collecting themaximum data possible. However, at the end ofthe project, when a great quantity of precious dataare collected often there is no institution to properlycare for these data and look after the post-collection activities. This is why, for anydigitization project a background institution thatcan take responsibility for archiving the data andpreserving them for at least 50, if not 100, yearsis a necessary condition.

8. A general pitfall for digitizing projects is an attemptto maximize the quantity of the collected datawithout providing the appropriate metadata and

the resulting catalogues. Metadata collection andcataloguing are essentially scholarly activities andneed excellent skills. So no digitized imageswithout appropriate metadata and cataloguesshould be produced during the project.

Indian National Manuscripts Library atIGNCA: A ProposalTo achieve various challenges as mentioned aboveIndian National Manuscripts Library at IGNCA has beenproposed. With all manuscript resources compiled atIGNCA under Kala Nidhi and NMM projects, acentralized repository of manuscripts will be availableto the users worldwide. This is going to the first suchlibrary in the world, and of course the foremost, toamong all other institutions to fulfill the twin objectivesof preservation and access to Indian manuscripts. TheNational Manuscript Library is being designed toinspire research on and ensure recycling of theknowledge content in the manuscripts. Indeed arevolutionary concept.

In d ia n N a tio n a l M a n u s c r ip ts L ib ra ryIn d ia n N a tio n a l M a n u s c r ip ts L ib ra ry

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References1. Annual Report, NMM, 2007 -082. Chandra, Lokesh (2006). Rare Indian Manuscripts

in Asian Countries, Tattvabodha, Vol - I, NMM3. Gaur, Ramesh C (2009), Preservation and Access

to Indian Manuscripts. AAMES Newsletter, 6(2).4. Mandal, Sudhendu & Maiti Sanjay Kumar (2006).

Scientific Analysis of Traditional Indigenous Methodsof Manuscript Preservation. Samrakshika, Series -I, NMM.

5. www.nationalarchives.gov.in

6. Project Document, National Mission for Manuscripts,2002.

7. www.ignca.nic.in8. www.namami.org9. Mukhopadhyaya, Pt. Satkari, History of Survey and

Cataloguing of Manuscripts in India, Vol-2, No.- 3,Kriti Rakshana, bi-monthly publication of the NMM.

10. Shukla, Vijayshankar, Chronological History ofCataloguing of Sanskrit Manuscripts, Vol-1, No.-1,Kalkalpa, Journal of the Indira Gandhi NationalCentre for the Arts, New Delhi.