Rare handwritten manuscript collection in Indic Languages at Scindia Oriental Research Institute (SORI), India

The paper defines manuscripts in India, states their importance and narrates in brief various types of manuscripts available. The paper then studies dispersion of five million Indic manuscripts in India and abroad. The paper reveals some earlier efforts to catalogue them. A literature survey on the topic is included in the paper. The paper gives an account of the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) in India, its MRC, MCC, MPC, Kritisampada, Vijnananidhi and its output. The paper then studies Scindia Oriental Research Institute, (SORI), Ujjain, which is one of the Manuscripts Resource Centers in National Mission for Manuscripts. Brief historical account of ancient city Ujjain and establishment of SORI, its collection and collection of very rare manuscripts are given. In the end paper concludes with need of international cooperation and suggests for signing MOUs between countries for cooperation on conservation and digitization of manuscripts and prepare an international database and suggests National Mission for Manuscripts (India) like programs in other countries. The paper also suggests for the declaration of manuscripts as national property, cultural heritage and world heritage.