In a significant boost to the preservation and research-based revival of India’s classical medical heritage, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), under the Ministry of Ayush, in collaboration with the Central Sanskrit University (CSU), New Delhi, has successfully completed a 15-day transliteration capacity-building workshop on Ayurvedic manuscripts in Kerala.
The residential workshop was held at the CSU Puranattukara (Guruvayoor) Campus in Thrissur from January 12 to 25, and brought together 33 scholars, including 18 Ayurveda scholars and 15 Sanskrit scholars, fostering an interdisciplinary approach to the study and preservation of ancient medical texts.
Organised under a Memorandum of Understanding between CCRAS and CSU, the programme forms part of a broader national initiative aimed at documenting, digitising, and facilitating research-oriented utilisation of classical Ayurvedic manuscripts. Participants received structured training in manuscriptology, palaeography, technical Ayurvedic terminology, and script orientation, with special focus on Grantha and Vattezhuthu scripts through dedicated Lipi Parichaya sessions.
A key highlight of the workshop was its strong emphasis on hands-on transliteration, enabling scholars to work directly with original palm-leaf manuscripts written in Grantha, Medieval Malayalam, and Vattezhuthu scripts. This practical approach resulted in measurable scholarly outputs within a short timeframe.
As a major academic outcome, five rare and previously unpublished Ayurvedic manuscripts were successfully transliterated and made available for advanced research. These include Dhanwanthari (Vaidya) Chinthamani and Dravyashuddhi, both transliterated from Grantha into Sanskrit; Vaidyam and Roga Nirnaya (Part I) transliterated from Medieval Malayalam into Malayalam; and Vividharogangal, a Vattezhuthu palm-leaf manuscript transliterated into both Malayalam and Sanskrit.
Addressing the valedictory session, Prof. Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General of CCRAS, said the programme marked the second successful collaboration with the Central Sanskrit University under CCRAS’s Ayurveda Manuscript Research Initiative. He recalled that an earlier workshop held at the CSU Puri Campus in Odisha had led to the transliteration of 14 Ayurvedic manuscripts, underscoring the growing momentum of the initiative.
Prof. K. K. Shine, Director of the CSU Guruvayoor Campus, along with Prof. K. Vishwanathan, reaffirmed CSU’s commitment to continued collaboration with CCRAS, particularly in the systematic preservation and scholarly revival of Malayalam Ayurvedic manuscripts, which form a crucial part of India’s regional medical traditions.
The workshop was coordinated by Prof. K. Vishwanathan (CSU) and Dr. Parvathy G. Nair (CCRAS). The valedictory function was attended by Dr. V. C. Deep, In-charge of CCRAS–National Ayurveda Research Institute for Panchakarma (NARIP), along with senior officials, academicians, and subject experts.
Participants and experts widely appreciated the programme for its integrated approach and outcome-driven design. CCRAS noted that such initiatives would play a vital role in strengthening evidence-based Ayurveda, conserving regional medical knowledge systems, and ensuring the long-term preservation of India’s classical medical heritage.
