2-day workshop on ancient scripts, manuscripts begins at IIAS Shimla

A two-day workshop on ‘Heritage of Ancient Writing Traditions in the Western Himalaya — Conservation of Scripts and Manuscripts of Himachal Pradesh’ was inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) on Tuesday.

The workshop will deliberate extensively on various aspects related to ancient scripts and manuscripts, including their conservation, reading traditions, digitisation and documentation.

The objective of the workshop is to promote the study and preservation of manuscript traditions and scripts prevalent in the Western Himalayan region, particularly in Himachal Pradesh, such as Pabuchi, Tankri, Pandavani and Chandvani, which evolved from the Sharada script.

These manuscripts contain valuable material related to the Indian knowledge tradition, especially the Vedas, Puranas, Jyotisha and Ayurveda, and are considered highly significant from a research perspective.

The coordinator of the workshop, Prof Om Prakash Sharma, emphasised that the manuscripts preserved in the Himalayan region constitute an invaluable heritage of the Indian knowledge system and stressed the need for their conservation.

National Fellow Prof RC Sinha elaborated on the significance of manuscripts, their preservation and various dimensions of the study of ancient writing traditions. Prof Himanshu Kumar Chaturvedi, the chief guest, said the manuscripts were not merely historical documents but living expressions of India’s intellectual tradition. He underscored the importance of their conservation, digitisation and scientific study, and emphasised the need for coordinated institutional efforts in this direction.

Presiding over the session, Prof Devdutt Sharma highlighted the importance of studying ancient scripts for a deeper understanding of Indian history and culture, and encouraged young researchers to engage in this field. He also presented various aspects related to the subject in an engaging and insightful manner.