233 Year Old Valmiki Ramayana Gifted to Ram Katha Museum
RSD- Bharat news: In a landmark cultural handover, Prof. Shrinivasa Varakhedi, Vice Chancellor of the Central Sanskrit University, presented a rare 233-year-old Sanskrit manuscript of the Valmikiramayanam (with the Tattvadipikaṭika) to Nripendra Misra, Chairman of the Executive Council of Prime Ministers Museum and Library at Teen Murti. The manuscript, authored by Adi Kavi Valmiki with a classical commentary (ṭika) by Maheshvara Tīrtha, is written in Sanskrit (Devanagari script). It is a historically significant work dating to Vikrama Samvat 1849 (1792 CE) and represents a rare preserved textual tradition of the Ramayaṇa. The collection comprises five principal kandas of the history Balakanda, Aranyakanda, Kiskindhakanda, Sundarakanda, and Yuddhakanda reflecting the narrative and philosophical depth of the Itihasa. 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. This significant gesture supports the museum’s development as a global centre for Ramayaṇa heritage, ensuring wider public access and preservation. Prof. Varakhedi remarked, “This gift immortalizes the profound wisdom of Valmiki Ramayana, making it accessible to scholars, devotees, and visitors worldwide in the sacred city of Ayodhya.”Nripendra Misra, Chairman of the Executive Council of PMML 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.
