Tamil Nadu archaeologists take up digitisation of ancient scriptures

Chennai, Dec.3 (ANI): The Department of Archaeology in Tamil Nadu has taken up the digital documentation of ancient and historical manuscripts, including inscriptions on stones and thus preserve them.

At the outset, the varied collection of the Government Museum, located at Egmore in Chennai city has been chosen for this massive exercise in which documents dating back as old as 2000 years are being digitalised.

The success of this project will not only ensure safe preservation of all the historical data but also help research scholars and others to know more about the past.

"We inaugurated (launched) the digitisation of inscriptions which is a major activity, it is of great benefit to the scholars; thereby, all the inscriptions are being copied and reduced into digital form (micro films)," said Dr. T S Sridhar, Commissioner of Museums, Tamil Nadu, Chennai.

There are over 60,000 multi-lingual inscriptions preserved various museums and libraries in the country out of which 25,000 are in the custody of Tamil Nadu's Department of Archeology.

Dr. Sridhar also mentioned that Government Museum at Egmore has already digitised 22,000 documents.

The documents are extensive in their subject coverage. The inscriptions range from physical sciences to humanities and culture.

"The museum has two sections comprising of 48 galleries, in the subjects like archaeology, anthropology, numismatics, bronze sculptures, paintings, botany, and zoology. In the museum there are various others subjects which are of interest to students, general public and research scholars," added Dr. T.S Sridhar.

Beside academia, the commoners with taste for arts and culture find the collection at the Egmore Museum informative and educative.

"We came to tour Chennai. I am very interested and happy seeing the diversity of the subjects in the museum. We have such places in Kolkata but this is even better and it is great,"noted Tapas Lahiri, a tourist from Kolkata.

The epigraphy wing at this museum is engaged in copying the instructions on boulders, stone pillars and temple walls etc. (ANI)