233-Year-Old Valmiki Ramayana Gifted to Ram Katha Museum in Ayodhya UP

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 Vālmīkirāmāyaṇam (with the Tattvadīpikāṭīkā) to Nripendra Misra, Chairman of the Executive Council of Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) at Teen Murti.

The manuscript, authored by Ādi Kavi Vālmīki with a classical commentary (ṭīkā) by Maheshvara Tīrtha, is written in Sanskrit (Devanāgarī script). It is a historically significant work dating to Vikrama Saṁvat 1849 (1792 CE) and represents a rare preserved textual tradition of the Rāmāyaṇa. The collection comprises five principal kāṇḍas of the epic Bālakāṇḍa, Araṇyakāṇḍa, Kiṣkindhākāṇḍa, Sundarakāṇḍa, and Yuddhakāṇḍa reflecting the narrative and philosophical depth of the Itihāsa.

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 Rāmāyaṇa 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.

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