New Delhi: Manuscripts of the epic Mahabharata, Kalhana’s 12th-century historical chronicle Rajatarangini, and Kautilya’s Arthashastra, a work on governance and statecraft, have been inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, officials said Thursday.
PIB Culture made the announcement on X and shared photos of UNESCO certificates. “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!” it said.
The decision was taken at the 11th Session of the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register held in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) said. According to an official, the IGNCA played an important role in preparing the nomination dossiers for all three works.
With the recognition, India’s historical, literary, philosophical and political thought receives wider international acknowledgement, taking the country’s total number of inscriptions in the Regional Register to six, the official said. The inscriptions mark a significant international recognition of India’s civilisational heritage and intellectual traditions, the official added.
