CCRAS signs MoU with Berhampur University to digitise rare Ayurveda manuscripts
New Delhi: In a landmark initiative to safeguard and promote India’s medical heritage, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of Ayush, and Berhampur University, Odisha, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to digitize, catalogue, and publish rare Ayurvedic manuscripts and palm-leaf documents preserved at the South Odisha Cultural Study Centre (SOCSC).
The MoU signing ceremony will be held at the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), Bhubaneswar, in the august presence of Prof. Geetanjali Das, Honourable Vice Chancellor, Berhampur University, Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, New Delhi and Prof. B.S. Prasad, Former President, National Council for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM). The collaboration will be led by the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage (NIIMH), Hyderabad, a peripheral unit of CCRAS, the PIB stated.
Bridging Antiquity and Technology
Berhampur University houses a distinguished collection of over 2,000 palm-leaf manuscripts, many of which containing invaluable Ayurvedic knowledge and remain unpublished and inaccessible to the wider scientific community. Through this partnership, CCRAS-NIIMH will employ advanced digitization techniques to preserve these fragile documents for posterity.
Key Highlights of the Collaboration
Comprehensive Digitization: Rare Ayurvedic books, periodicals, and manuscripts will be digitized, with digital copies provided to Berhampur University. Descriptive Cataloguing: A detailed catalogue titled “Descriptive Catalogue of Ayurveda Manuscripts of SOCSC-BU, Odisha” will be prepared, featuring 44 distinct data fields to aid researchers.
Global Accessibility: The catalogue will be hosted on the AMAR Portal, enabling worldwide access to metadata of these ancient texts. Research & Publication: Selected manuscripts will undergo transcription, transliteration and translation into modern languages, integrating ancient wisdom into contemporary medical discourse.
Institutional Commitment
Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, emphasized that this initiative forms part of a national mission to document and validate India’s traditional knowledge systems. Prof. Geetanjali Das, Vice Chancellor of Berhampur University, highlighted that the partnership not only safeguards the manuscripts’ physical integrity but also enhances the university’s stature as a global hub for cultural and medical heritage studies.
Project Timeline and Ethics
The MoU will initially span two years. Both institutions have pledged adherence to strict confidentiality and intellectual property protocols, ensuring that the manuscripts remain under the custodianship of Berhampur University while responsibly sharing their knowledge with the public. The programme is being coordinated by Dr. M.M. Rao, Director, CARI Bhubaneswar; Dr. Sarada Ota, Assistant Director (Ayu.), CARI Bhubaneswar and Dr. Santosh Mane, Research Officer (Ay), NIIMH Hyderabad, in the gracious presence of the Officers and Staff of CARI Bhubaneswar, along with officials and dignitaries of Berhampur University.
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