The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) under the Ministry of Ayush and Central Sanskrit University under the Ministry of Education have jointly inaugurated a 15-day capacity-building workshop on transliterating Ayurveda manuscripts written in Tigalari and Old Kannada scripts. The workshop is being held at Sri Puthige Narasimha Sabhabhavana, Geetha Mandir in Udupi, in collaboration with Sri Vadiraja Research Foundation.
The initiative aims to build expertise among scholars in reading, deciphering, and transcribing rare Ayurveda manuscripts preserved in Tigalari and Old Kannada scripts predominantly found in Karnataka's coastal regions. The program is conducted with the blessings of His Holiness Sri Sri Sugunendra Tirtha Sripada, Pontiff of Sri Puthige Matha, and His Holiness Sri Sri Sushrindra Tirtha Sripada, Junior Pontiff of the Matha.
Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS, inaugurated the workshop and highlighted various initiatives undertaken by CCRAS for the preservation, documentation, and dissemination of Ayurveda knowledge. He emphasized the Government of India's efforts under the Gyan Bharatam Mission toward conserving and promoting the country's rich knowledge traditions. Dr. Sudhir Raj K., Director of the Indian Knowledge Systems Centre at Nitte University, emphasized the importance of preserving India's manuscript heritage.
This marks the third such workshop jointly organized by CCRAS and Central Sanskrit University, following previous workshops in Puri, Odisha (focusing on Karani/Devanagari scripts) and Guruvayur, Kerala (focusing on Vattezhuthu/Malayalam scripts). Participants include faculty and students from Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College of Ayurveda in Udupi and Hassan, along with Sanskrit students from the Gurukula of Sri Puthige Matha.
The transliterated manuscripts developed during the program will be taken up for publication by CCRAS and Central Sanskrit University, contributing to the preservation and wider dissemination of India's traditional knowledge resources. This content may not be financially relevant.