Mahabharata, Arthashastra, Rajatarangini manuscripts enter UNESCO memory register

Manuscripts of three classical Indian works, the Mahabharata, Kautilya's Arthashastra and Kalhana's Rajatarangini, have been added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, India's Ministry of Culture announced on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The decision was taken at the register committee's eleventh session in Jakarta, Indonesia, according to reports. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), a cultural research body under the ministry, helped prepare the nomination dossiers. With these additions, India has six entries on the regional register.

UNESCO's Memory of the World programme is different from its better-known World Heritage list of monuments and places. It recognises documents: manuscripts, archives and other records whose loss would be a loss to human memory. The recognition here honours the physical manuscripts through which these works have survived, not only the texts themselves.

Each of the three works holds a distinct place in Indian knowledge. The Mahabharata is one of the two great epics of the Indian tradition. The Arthashastra is a classical treatise on statecraft, economics and administration, traditionally attributed to Kautilya. The Rajatarangini, written by Kalhana in Kashmir, is a chronicle of the kings of Kashmir.

Inclusion on the register can help with the practical work of preservation. It draws attention to the condition of old manuscripts, many of which are fragile, and can support efforts to conserve and digitise them so that scholars and students can study them without handling the originals. It also signals international recognition of India's documentary heritage at a time when the government is running a national mission to survey and digitise manuscripts.

For students of Indian Knowledge Systems, the listing is a reminder that these works are also historical documents, studied for language, law, administration and history, as well as for their cultural and religious meaning.

Peepals calculation: Adding three manuscripts takes India's entries on the regional register from three to six, according to the reported total, which doubles India's presence on the list (6 ÷ 3 = 2). The three works added this year make up half of India's six entries. Our calculation from the reported figures.

Short-term: The listing brings attention to the manuscripts and the institutions that hold them, and to the work of IGNCA in preparing nominations.

Long-term: Recognition may support funding and expertise for conserving and digitising these manuscripts, and encourage nominations of other Indian manuscripts to UNESCO registers.

Who is affected: Scholars and students of Indian history, philosophy and literature; libraries and institutions that hold the manuscripts; and the Ministry of Culture and IGNCA, which lead India's nominations.

Questions and Answers