CCRAS and Central Sanskrit University Hold Ayurveda Manuscript Workshop in Udupi

Speaking at the event, Prof. Acharya highlighted the steps being taken by CCRAS to preserve, document and share Ayurveda knowledge with future generations.

A 15-day capacity-building workshop focused on the transliteration of Ayurveda manuscripts written in Tigalari and Old Kannada scripts began in Udupi on Monday, bringing together scholars, researchers and students dedicated to preserving India's traditional knowledge heritage.

The workshop is being organised jointly by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) under the Ministry of Ayush and the Central Sanskrit University (CSU) under the Ministry of Education. The programme is being conducted in collaboration with the Sri Vadiraja Research Foundation at Sri Puthige Narasimha Sabhabhavana, Geetha Mandir, Udupi.

Held under the blessings of His Holiness Sri Sri Sugunendra Tirtha Sripada and His Holiness Sri Sri Sushrindra Tirtha Sripada of Sri Puthige Matha, the initiative seeks to develop expertise among young scholars in reading, understanding and transcribing ancient Ayurveda manuscripts that remain preserved in traditional scripts widely used in Karnataka's coastal region.

The workshop was inaugurated by Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS. Several distinguished guests attended the inaugural session, including Sri Nagaraj Acharya, Administrator and Diwan of Sri Puthige Matha, Dr. G. P. Prasad from the National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage, Hyderabad, Dr. T. Maheshwar from the Central Ayurveda Research Institute, Bengaluru, and Dr. Sudhir Raj K., Director of the Indian Knowledge Systems Centre at Nitte University.

Speaking at the event, Prof. Acharya highlighted the steps being taken by CCRAS to preserve, document and share Ayurveda knowledge with future generations. He also spoke about the Government of India's efforts under the Gyan Bharatam Mission, which focuses on protecting and promoting the country's vast intellectual and cultural traditions.

Dr. Sudhir Raj K. stressed the importance of safeguarding India's manuscript wealth and noted that Indian Knowledge Systems can play a significant role in expanding research opportunities and making traditional knowledge more accessible to modern scholars.

Participants in the programme will receive hands-on training from experts in deciphering, transliterating, editing and preparing unpublished Ayurveda manuscripts for publication. The workshop is designed for scholars from Ayurveda and Sanskrit backgrounds, helping them develop specialised skills needed to work with ancient texts that remain unavailable to the wider academic community.

This marks the third collaborative workshop organised by CCRAS and Central Sanskrit University. Earlier editions were held in Puri, Odisha, where scholars worked on Karani and Devanagari manuscripts, and in Guruvayur, Kerala, where training focused on Vattezhuthu and Malayalam scripts.

Students and faculty members from Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College of Ayurveda in Udupi and Hassan, along with Sanskrit students from the Gurukula of Sri Puthige Matha, are taking part in the training programme.

The manuscripts transliterated during the workshop will later be prepared for publication by CCRAS and Central Sanskrit University, helping preserve valuable Ayurveda knowledge while making these traditional texts available to researchers, practitioners and future generations.