New Delhi, August 15: The Ministry of AYUSH’s Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with two institutions for the systematic digitization of medical manuscripts. This initiative aims to preserve, document, and enhance access to India’s traditional medical knowledge heritage. The agreement was made with the Sevadi Museum and the Indological Research Institute, both located in Kumarannalloor, Kottayam district.
The Sevadi Museum, operated by the Uramma Devaswom, houses a vast collection of over 30,000 manuscripts, including temple records. This MOU symbolizes a significant collaborative effort to safeguard valuable manuscript resources linked to Kerala’s rich medical and intellectual traditions.
The manuscript collection preserved by these institutions includes rare and historically significant works related to Ayurveda and traditional knowledge. Many of these manuscripts are crucial for understanding the evolution of medical concepts, treatment methods, medicines, diagnostic ideas, and scholarly traditions within the Indian knowledge system.
Under this collaborative framework, CCRAS-NIIMH will provide technical and scholarly expertise for the digitization of hundreds of medical manuscripts and the preparation of a descriptive catalog. The digitization process will help create high-quality digital copies, contributing to the long-term preservation of manuscripts and reducing the need for physical handling of rare and historically valuable materials.
A key component of this initiative will be the creation of a comprehensive descriptive catalog. This catalog will include essential bibliographic and manuscript-related information, such as title, author, subject, script, language, material, physical dimensions, page details, condition, origin, and other relevant features. Such systematic documentation will enhance the discoverability of manuscripts, providing scholars and researchers with reliable information to identify and access relevant primary sources for future research.
This initiative holds particular significance in the context of the Knowledge Bharat Mission and the Indian government’s broader efforts to preserve, digitize, and disseminate India’s handwritten heritage. Medical manuscripts are a vital part of this heritage, representing knowledge accumulated by scholars and practitioners over generations.
The collaboration will also strengthen institutional partnerships in the fields of manuscript studies, textual studies, digital preservation, and Ayurvedic literary research. The resulting digital resources and descriptive catalogs will be beneficial for researchers, academics, medical historians, and scholars engaged in the study of Ayurveda and Indian knowledge systems.
Professor Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS, stated that the preservation of medical manuscripts is not merely an archival task but a crucial component of safeguarding India’s intellectual heritage. He emphasized that systematic digitization and scholarly documentation will help ensure that rare sources of traditional medical knowledge remain preserved and accessible for future generations, facilitating evidence-based research and in-depth studies of classical texts.
Dr. C.S. Unni, President of the Sevadi Museum and Indological Research Institute, highlighted the importance of collaboration in showcasing Kerala’s vast heritage, particularly that of Kumarannalloor and the Kottayam region. Dr. Goli Penchala Prasad, head of CCRAS-NIIMH, discussed the challenges in manuscript studies, especially concerning Ayurveda.
The event also featured Dr. S. Rajendra, curator of the Sevadi Museum and Indological Research Institute, Dr. Santosh S. Mane, research officer in Ayurveda, and Dr. Rakesh Narayanan, research officer at CCRAS in New Delhi, along with other key officials representing Uramma Devaswom.
A specialized team working under the framework of the digitization and cataloging project for AYUSH manuscripts and rare books at CCRAS-NIIMH in Hyderabad has also initiated on-site digitization of the manuscripts.
This MOU reflects CCRAS and the AYUSH Ministry’s commitment to strengthening the scientific documentation, preservation, and dissemination of India’s traditional medical knowledge, while also promoting collaboration with institutions that hold valuable collections and manuscript repositories.
The collaboration is expected to contribute to the development of a structured and accessible knowledge resource, supporting future research, critical editions, scholarly publications, and other initiatives aimed at integrating India’s manuscript heritage into the contemporary academic and research ecosystem.
The National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH) in Hyderabad is a premier institution under the Ministry of AYUSH, dedicated to the research, documentation, and preservation of the historical and literary heritage of Indian medical systems. Its activities include literary research, documentation of medical manuscripts, textual studies, digitization, and the development of resources for the study of medical heritage.
The Sevadi Museum and Indological Research Institute, located in Kumarannalloor, Kottayam, is a dedicated heritage and research center aimed at preserving the cultural, social, and administrative history of central Travancore. It is owned and managed by the Uramma Devaswom, the traditional governing body of the historic Kumarannalloor Devi Temple.
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