Thrissur

More than 30 scholars drawn from the disciplines of Ayurveda and Sanskrit took part in a two-week intensive workshop on Ayurvedic manuscripts in Kerala’s Thrissur district, highlighting the growing emphasis on interdisciplinary research in traditional knowledge systems.

The programme, held from January 12 to 25 at the Puranattukara (Guruvayoor) Campus of the Central Sanskrit University (CSU), was jointly organised by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) under the Union Ministry of Ayush and the Central Sanskrit University, Delhi.

Conducted under a Memorandum of Understanding between the two institutions, the workshop formed part of CCRAS’s nationwide initiative aimed at identifying, documenting, digitising and promoting the scholarly use of classical Ayurvedic manuscripts, the Ministry of Ayush said in an official statement.

Participants received structured training in manuscript studies, including manuscriptology, palaeography, script identification and the interpretation of specialised Ayurvedic terminology. Special Lipi Parichaya sessions familiarised scholars with Grantha and Vattezhuthu scripts, which are commonly found in traditional palm-leaf manuscripts from southern India.

The programme placed particular focus on practical learning, with participants undergoing hands-on training in transliteration using Grantha, Medieval Malayalam and Vattezhuthu scripts. Scholars worked directly with original palm-leaf manuscripts, allowing them to gain practical experience while producing academically verifiable outputs within the limited duration of the workshop.

One of the key outcomes of the programme was the successful transliteration of five rare and previously unpublished Ayurvedic manuscripts, which have now been made accessible for further academic study and research.

The manuscripts include Dhanwanthari (Vaidya) Chinthamani, a 146-page palm-leaf text transliterated from Grantha into Sanskrit; Dravyashuddhi, a 110-page Grantha manuscript rendered into Sanskrit; Vaidyam, a 59-page manuscript in Medieval Malayalam transliterated into Malayalam; Roga Nirnaya (Part I), consisting of 75 pages transliterated from Medieval Malayalam into Malayalam; and Vividharogangal, a 78-page palm-leaf manuscript in Vattezhuthu converted into both Malayalam and Sanskrit.

Speaking at the valedictory session, CCRAS Director General Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya said the programme marked the second collaborative workshop with CSU under the Ayurveda Manuscript Research Initiative. He recalled that a similar workshop held earlier at CSU’s Puri campus in Odisha had resulted in the transliteration of 14 Ayurvedic manuscripts.

CSU Guruvayoor Campus Director Professor K K Shine, along with Professor K Vishwanathan, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to continued collaboration with CCRAS, especially in preserving and revitalising Malayalam Ayurvedic manuscripts that form an important part of India’s regional medical heritage.

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According to CCRAS, such initiatives are expected to strengthen evidence-based Ayurveda, safeguard regional medical traditions and contribute to the long-term preservation of India’s classical healthcare knowledge.