Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his Mann Ki Baat speech, highlighted the ‘Abhay Jain Granthalaya’, a library in Bikaner known for its ancient manuscripts. The director of the library, Rishabh Nahata, expressed pride and joy at this recognition, considering it an honor for the library, Bikaner, and Rajasthan. The ‘granthalaya’ boasts a collection of approximately 200,000 manuscripts in languages like Sanskrit, Prakrit, Gurmukhi, Telugu, Tamil, and Bengali, meticulously gathered by Agar Chand Nahata over his lifetime.
Under the Ministry of Culture’s Gyan Bharat Mission, efforts are underway at the library for digitization, conservation, and cataloging of these invaluable manuscripts. The Gyan Bharatam Mission, initiated by the government, aims to preserve India’s manuscript heritage by transitioning it into the digital realm. As part of this mission, a comprehensive survey is currently in progress. Nahata urged individuals possessing old manuscripts to participate in the survey, facilitating the preservation and promotion of these historical treasures.
Since the signing of an MoU under the Gyan Bharatam Mission in October last year, significant strides have been made in digitizing and conserving these manuscripts. Over 200,000 pages have been digitized, and about 6,600 manuscripts have been processed, a meticulous task involving scanning, digitization, cataloging, and conservation procedures. Rishabh Nahata noted that the manuscripts span from 100 to 400 years old, with the Abhay Jain Granthalaya itself being around a century old, explaining its extensive collection of ancient texts.
