Jakarta, 5 November 2026: UNESCO announced the inscription of three documentary heritage items from India at the 11th General Meeting of the Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP), which reviewed nominations for the 2025–2026 cycle of the regional register.
The newly inscribed documentary heritage items from India include:
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The Arthaśāstra by Kauṭilya – Ancient Foundational Treatise on Governance and Statecraft
Composed two millennia ago, the Arthaśāstra is a foundational Sanskrit treatise that integrates statecraft, economics, administration, diplomacy, law and military strategy into a systematic science of governance. Attributed to Kauṭilya, this documentary heritage is structured into fifteen adhikaraṇas (books), one hundred and fifty adhyāyas (chapters), and one hundred and eighty prakaraṇas (sections). The text survives in a complete sixteenth-century palm-leaf manuscript in Grantha script at the Oriental Research Institute, Mysuru. Rediscovered in 1905 by R. Shamasastry, it transformed understanding of ancient Indian polity and inspired extensive editions, translations, and comparative studies.
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The Birch-Bark (būrjapatra) Manuscript of Mahābhārata: A Perennial Epic of South Asia
The Mahābhārata – the world’s longest epic—codified by Vyāsa, preserves India’s civilizational memory while offering profound reflections on Dharma (moral ethics), Artha (material prosperity), Kāma (pleasure), and Mokṣa (liberation), alongside explorations of Kartavya (duty), Rājadharma (principles of statecraft), Darśana (philosophical thought), and Niyati (the human destiny). From the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to adaptations in the Japanese Kabuki play Naru-kami, the influence of the Mahābhārata extends far beyond India’s borders, shaping the life and art of Asia for centuries. Preserved at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune, this 400-year-old rare birch-bark manuscript of the Mahābhārata survives in a written form in the Śāradā script. Acquired in Kashmir in 1875 by the eminent Indologist Georg Bühler, this fragmentary manuscript constitutes the most authentic extant genuine representative of the old Kashmiri version and is regarded as a codex archetype.
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The Manuscript of Rājataraṅgiṇī by Kalhaṇa: A Twelfth-Century Chronicle of Kashmir
The manuscript of Kalhaṇa’s Rājataraṅgiṇī stands as one of the rare extant works of Sanskrit literature that embody the character of a true historical text (itihāsa-grantha). Composed in the 12th century C.E., it interweaves historical narratives, royal genealogies, political events, and socio-cultural elements of Kashmir within the aesthetic framework of kāvya (poetry). With earlier sources either lost or extant only in fragments, the text stands as a vital effort to restore a continuous and coherent history of Kashmir. The Rājataraṅgiṇī is a repository of the cultural essence of Kashmir. Demonstrating Kalhaṇa’s critical method, his use of sources, innovative chronological framework, and ethical reflections, the manuscript evinces an early historical consciousness rare in South Asian literature. Written in Śāradā script on old Kashmiri paper, the nominated manuscript is a direct copy of the lost codex archetype, making it the closest surviving link to the original source. It is preserved at the Oriental Research Library in Srinagar.
The latest inscriptions bring India’s total entries on the regional register to six, following three earlier inscriptions in 2024. This, in addition to another 21 new inscriptions celebrating regional history, Gender Equality, and knowledge preservation – from across the Asia and the Pacific, bring the register’s listing to 106 items from 29 countries, including first-time inscriptions from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
The Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) was established in 1998, following the launch of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme in 1992. The programme promotes international cooperation to safeguard, preserve and facilitate access to and the use of documentary heritage, particularly rare and endangered materials.
The latter consists of documentary collections including books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, sound or video recordings, which bear witness to the shared heritage of humanity. As of 2025, UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register comprises 570 documentary heritage collections from 193 countries, including 13 from India.
Ma’aly Hazzaz
Chief and Regional Advisor
Communication and Information Sector
UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia
m.hazzaz@unesco.org
Sindhuja Khajuria
Communications and Public Relations Officer
Communications and Public Engagement unit
UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia
s.khajuria@unesco.org
