India's Literary Treasures Join UNESCO's Memory of the World Register

Significant Recognition for Indian Manuscripts

New Delhi: The epic Mahabharata, Kalhana’s 12th-century historical work Rajatarangini, and Kautilya’s Arthashastra, which focuses on governance, have been officially added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, as announced by officials on Thursday.

The announcement was made via a post on X by PIB Culture, which included images of the UNESCO certificates. They expressed, “A moment of immense pride for India! The Rajatarangini, Mahabharata, and Arthashastra have been inscribed in @UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, marking a historic milestone in the global recognition of India’s rich civilisational heritage!”

This decision was reached during the 11th Session of the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, which took place in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) played a crucial role in preparing the nomination dossiers for these three significant works.

With this new recognition, India's historical, literary, philosophical, and political contributions gain broader international acknowledgment, bringing the total number of inscriptions in the Regional Register to six. This achievement signifies a substantial international recognition of India's civilizational heritage and intellectual traditions.