UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register includes 14 inscriptions from India. The latest additions are the Hindu texts Bhagavad Gita and Natya Shastra. In India, the Ministry of Culture oversees the task of promoting and preservation of arts and culture.
Memory of the World inscriptions
Representative List Name Year inscribedDocument type Description Ref.The Institute of Asian Studies Tamil Medical Manuscript Collection1997BooksIt reflects the ancient system of medicines practiced by yogis during Dravidian empires.Archives of the Dutch East India Company2003BooksIt is the complete archive of Dutch colonial rules in Asian and Africa.The inscription is shared by these countries,
Shaiva manuscript in Puducherry 2005Manuscripts It is the largest collection in the world of manuscripts of texts of the Shaiva Siddhanta.The collection comprises thousands of palf-leaf codices predominantly in Sanskrit written in Grantha script. Rigveda2007Manuscripts It is one of the four Vedas which dates back between c. 1500 and 1000 BCEIt is considered among the first literary documents in the history of humankind Tarikh e Khandan e Timuriyah2011ManuscriptsIt describes the descendants of the 14th-century leader Timur. Laghukālacakratantrarājatikā (Vimalaprabha)2011Manuscripts It is a commentary on the Kālacakratantra, the famous Tantra of the Buddhists which introduces the cult of Kalachakra into Buddhism.The text contain detailed discussions of astrology and astronomy.Shantinatha Charitra2013PapersIt describes the life and times of Shantinatha, the sixteenth Jain Tirthankara.Maitreyayvarakarana2017BooksIt is a manuscript from Pala Period which is around Maitreya, the future incarnation of Buddha. Gilgit manuscripts2017ManuscriptsThese are the oldest surviving manuscripts in Indian subcontinent which date back to 5-6th century CE. Abhinavagupta (940-1015 CE): Collection of Manuscripts of his works2023Manuscripts It is the collection of many manuscripts written by Abhinavagupta on topics such as Shaivism, philosophy, Tantra etc and its history dates back to 10h century Kashmir First Summit Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Archives2023Books These are textual files, photographs, and films documenting the 1961 Belgrade Summit, which marked the founding of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) The inscriptions are shared by following countries,
Bhagwadgita 2025ManuscriptsOne of the Hindu holy books and a central text in the continuous, cumulative ancient intellectual Indian tradition, synthesizing various thought movements such as, Vedic, Buddhist, Jain and Cārvāka.Natyashastra 2025ManuscriptsIt embodies various set of rules for Natya, Abhinay, Raga, Bhava, Sangita etc like performing arts.
See also Memory of the World Register – Asia and the Pacific List of World Heritage Sites in India List of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements in India
References