233-year-old Ramayana manuscript gifted to Ayodhya's Ram Katha museum

New Delhi: A rare 233-year-old Sanskrit manuscript of Valmiki's Ramayana has been gifted to the Ram Katha museum in Ayodhya, the Culture Ministry said on Tuesday.

In a landmark cultural handover, Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Vice Chancellor of the Central Sanskrit University, presented the manuscript of the Valmikiramayanam (with the Tattvadipikatika) to Nripendra Misra, Chairman of the Executive Council of Prime Ministers Museum and Library, it said.

The manuscript, authored by Adi Kavi Valmiki with a classical commentary (tika) by Maheshvara Tirtha, is written in Sanskrit (in Devanagari script), the ministry said in a statement.

"It is a historically significant work dating to Vikrama Samvat 1849 (1792 CE) and represents a rare preserved textual tradition of the Ramayana," it said.

"The collection comprises five principal kanaas of the epic -- Balakanda, Aranyakanda, Kiskindhakanda, Sundarakanda, and Yuddhakanda -- reflecting the narrative and philosophical depth of the Itihasa," the statement said.

The manuscript, previously loaned to Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, has now been permanently gifted to the Antarrashtriya Ram Katha Sangrahalaya (International Ram Katha Museum), Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, it said.

This significant gesture supports the museum’s development as a global centre for Ramayana heritage, ensuring wider public access and preservation, the officials said.

“This gift immortalises the profound wisdom of Valmiki Ramayana, making it accessible to scholars, devotees, and visitors worldwide in the sacred city of Ayodhya," Varakhedi said.

Misra said, “Donation of this rare manuscript of Valmiki Ramayana to Ram Katha Sangrahalaya at Ayodhya is a landmark moment for the devotees of Ram and the temple complex at Ayodhya."