District Administration Appeals Citizens to Participate in Preservation of India’s Cultural and Intellectual Heritage
Published on: April 23, 2026
By: BTNI
Location:Rajnandgaon, India
Initiative to Preserve Ancient Knowledge Heritage
The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, has launched the Gyan Bharatam Mission with the objective of preserving and safeguarding ancient manuscripts, palm-leaf records, handwritten texts, and other cultural treasures representing India’s rich intellectual and knowledge tradition.
Under the mission, institutional collections—both private and government—as well as individual collectors possessing manuscripts, palm-leaf documents, rare handwritten texts, and artistic records will be identified and surveyed.
District-Level Committee Formed for Survey
Under the chairmanship of Collector Jitendra Yadav, a district-level committee has been constituted to implement the National Manuscript Survey Campaign under the Gyan Bharatam Mission. Chief Executive Officer of District Panchayat Ms. Suruchi Singh has been appointed as the District Nodal Officer.
For effective implementation and documentation activities, Gram Panchayat Secretaries across the district have been designated as nodal officers and surveyors at the village level. The survey will be conducted through the Gyan Bharatam Mobile App, available for free download on the Google Play Store.
The district administration has already completed necessary preparations, including training of departmental officers, employees, and survey personnel to ensure smooth execution of the survey.
Three Manuscripts Discovered So Far
Under the mission, three manuscripts have been identified in Rajnandgaon district so far:
- The first manuscript was found at the Radhakrishna Temple of Digvijay College, containing religious shlokas and mantras written in Sanskrit.
- The second manuscript was discovered with History Professor Dr. Shailendra Singh at Digvijay College. The handwritten manuscript contains religious content written in Awadhi language and dates between 1870 and 1890 AD.
- The third discovery was made in Village Ratanbhat under Chhuriya development block at the residence of Rahim Miyan, where a copper plate bearing a palm imprint was found. The plate contains Quranic messages written in Persian and Urdu and has reportedly been preserved in the family for three to four generations.
Extensive Survey Across Rural and Urban Areas
Potential locations for manuscripts across rural and urban areas of the district include cultural colleges, private and government libraries, museums, educational and research institutions, Sanskrit schools, temples, monasteries, ashrams, gurukuls, trusts, private collectors, priests, religious scholars, astrologers, Ayurvedic practitioners, and experts of Sanskrit and ancient languages.
Citizens can also voluntarily register manuscript information themselves through the Gyan Bharatam Mobile App if such heritage materials are available with them.
Administration Appeals for Public Participation
The Rajnandgaon district administration has appealed to citizens to actively cooperate in the survey. Individuals possessing ancient manuscripts, palm-leaf records, rare handwritten texts, or traditional artworks are encouraged to contact district-level master trainers for documentation and inclusion in the survey.
For related information, citizens may contact Master Trainers Ms. Pranita Sharma (8120758970), Mr. K.P. Vishwakarma (9827152229), Mr. Shatdal Patro (7879088180), and Mrs. Kalyani Sinha (8103757894).
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