Written by –Manoj Kumar Ojha
Guwahati: In a historic cultural development, Assam officially handed over five rare and valuable Sanchipat manuscripts to the Rashtrapati Bhawan Library in New Delhi, for preservation and national display.
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The manuscripts are: Kirtan Ghoxa, Adi Dasham, Nam Ghoxa, Bhakti Ratnavali, and Geet Govinda.
This move represents a significant step in Assam’s efforts to showcase its literary, spiritual, and cultural richness to a wider audience.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma formally announced the momentous event on the social media platform X on Tuesday evening. He stated:
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“A proud moment for Assam as 5 precious Sanchipat manuscripts have been handed to Rashtrapati Bhawan Library for preservation and display. This will take the history of the Assamese language and its unique creations to a wider national and international audience.”
Through this handover, Assam continues to strengthen its initiatives to conserve its indigenous heritage and bring it into the national spotlight. Scholars and artisans from earlier centuries created these Sanchipat manuscripts on specially treated bark of the Sanchi tree (Aquillaria agallocha). These works often contain exquisite hand-painted illustrations, intricate calligraphy, and deeply philosophical or religious texts. Traditionally, Vaishnavite also monks used these manuscripts to record religious scriptures, poetry, and epics, treating them as sacred artefacts.
According to cultural historians, “Sanchipat” refers to ancient bark-sheet manuscripts that were processed and widely used across Assam in classical times. Vaishnavite monks and scholars from Assam’s medieval period primarily created these texts, which stand as powerful evidence of that era’s literary and spiritual genius.
Furthermore, the selected manuscripts include rare works rooted in Assamese Vaishnavism, a reformative spiritual movement that Srimanta Sankardev—Assam’s 15th–16th-century saint, poet, and reformer—propagated. Sankardev wrote extensively in Assamese and Sanskrit, and his teachings greatly influenced Assamese literature, music (Borgeet), dance (Sattriya), drama (Ankiya Naat), and socio-religious philosophy through the Ekasarana Dharma movement.
Over the centuries, generations of Vaishnavite monks preserved these Sanchipat manuscripts in Satras (monastic institutions). Many of the manuscripts narrate episodes from the Bhagavata Purana, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, interpreted in the local Assamese context with rich commentary. As a result, these documents combine philosophical depth, artistic calligraphy, and linguistic purity, making them invaluable to linguists, historians, and art scholars.
By transferring these manuscripts to the Rashtrapati Bhawan Library in Assam is ensuring their expert conservation. At the same time, the move enables visitors, researchers, and international dignitaries to experience the artistic excellence and ancient wisdom of Assam.
The event also marks a major milestone in Assam’s cultural diplomacy and heritage preservation. It serves as a reminder of the vibrant legacy of the Assamese language—one that evolved through Bhakti movement literature, spiritual compositions, and storytelling rooted in inclusive devotion, harmony, and enlightenment.