Digital Preservation of Mahayana Buddhist Manuscripts of ArunachalPradesh: Strategies, Issues and Challenges

Abstract

The paper deals with the strategies, issues and challenges faced during the survey for the digital preservation of Mahayana Buddhist manuscripts of Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal Pradesh, the abode of various colourful tribes is notable for its tribal history and cultural heritage. There are more than twenty-six major tribes and hundred sub tribes. Out of which, half a dozen of tribes profess living Buddhism- both Theravada and Mahayana forms. In the present scenario, it is estimated that only in Tawang monastery there are more than five thousand rare Buddhist manuscripts that contains knowledge on religion, philosophy, medicine, Lord Buddha’s original preaching’s etc. Besides there are at least five dozens of old Mahayana monasteries in Arunachal Pradesh where hundreds of Buddhist manuscripts are preserved written in Bodic script. The present paper is the project outcome, taken by the author with the help of National Mission for Manuscripts carries out the methodologies used in a long and effort-intensive process, the software used in this effort by the Mission, developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC), is Manus Granthavali.