From Epics to Fables: Three Indian Literary Works Enter UNESCO Registry

Three Indian literary works, Ramcharitmanas, Panchatantra, and Sahṛdayaloka-Locana, have been inscribed in the 2024 Memory of the World Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) Regional Register. This is the first time India has had three nominations accepted in a single cycle.

The announcement was made during the 10th General Meeting of MOWCAP, held from May 7 to 8, 2024, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and hosted by the Ministry of Culture of Mongolia, the Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO, and the UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok.

The 'Ramcharitmanas' (literal meaning: lake of the deed of the Rama), was composed by Goswami Tulsidas in Awadhi language in the 16th century and is considered one of the greatest works of Hindu literature. 

The Panchatantra, written by Pandit Vishnu Sharma, is a compilation of animal fables in poetry and prose. 

The 'Sahṛdayaloka-Locana', dating to the 9th and 10th centuries AD, incudes text and discussions related to poetics, dramaturgy and the theatrical insights.

“The Ramcharitmanas and Ramayana are read not only in India, but also in other Southeast Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka,” said Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Head, Kala Nidhi Division, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

Tim Curtis, Director, UNESCO South Asia Regional Office and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka said: “UNESCO congratulates India for the inscription of these three literary masterpieces in the MOWCAP register. It is a significant achievement in recognizing and safeguarding the diverse and artistic expressions that shape humanity. These literary treasures will enlighten and inspire generations to come.” 

The list of 20 successfully inscribed items to the MOWCAP Regional Register for Asia-Pacific:

• Australia and Tuvalu – Funafuti: The Edgeworth David 1897 Expedition Documents
• Bangladesh – Sultana’s Dream by Rokeya S. Hossain
• China – Archives Relating to the Chengdu Traditional Teahouses
• China – Huizhou Genealogy Archives
• China – Printing Blocks Housed at the Derge Printing House

• India – The Illustrated Manuscripts of Rāmacaritamānasa of Tulasīdāsa

• India – The Manuscript of the Sahṛdayāloka-Locana: Seminal Text of Indian Poetics

• India – The 15th Century Manuscript of the Pañcatantra Fables
• Indonesia – Indarung I, The First Cement Plant in Southeast Asia (1910-1972)
• Indonesia – Indonesian Sugar Research Institute’s Archives 1887-1986: The Role of ISRI’s Research Activities to the World Sugar Industry
• Indonesia – The Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol Manuscript
• Malaysia – Al-Tarikh Salasilah Negeri Kedah: Genealogical History of Kedah State
• Malaysia – The Royal Correspondence of Baginda Omar (Surat Persendirian Baginda Omar)
• Mongolia – Family Chart of Hereditary Lords of the Khalkha Mongols, the House of Genghis Khan
• Mongolia – Mongolia’s First Postage Stamps ‘Eldev Ochir’
• Philippines – Doctrina Christiana en Lengua Española y Tagala (Christian Doctrine in Spanish and Tagalog), Manila, 1593
• Philippines – Hinilawod Epic Chant Recordings
• Uzbekistan – Images of Khorezm Oasis by Khudaibergan Devanov (1879-1937)
• Uzbekistan – Turkestan Album 1871-1872
• Viet Nam – Bas-reliefs on the Nine Bronze Urns in Huế Imperial Palace

Since 1992, UNESCO’s Memory of the World (MoW) Programme has been working to prevent the irrevocable loss of our collective memory by protecting the world’s documentary heritage in all its forms by democratizing access and raising awareness of the need to preserve these significant works.