A 15-day transliteration capacity-building workshop on Ayurvedic manuscripts was completed in Kerala to support the preservation and research-based revival of India’s classical medical heritage. The programme was organised by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) in collaboration with the Central Sanskrit University (CSU), New Delhi, under a Memorandum of About between the two institutions. It was held at the CSU Puranattukara Campus in Thrissur from 12 to 25 January.
Workshop Focus
The residential workshop brought together 33 scholars, including 18 Ayurveda scholars and 15 Sanskrit scholars. It aimed to build skills in manuscriptology, palaeography, technical Ayurvedic terminology, and script orientation. Special attention was given to Grantha and Vattezhuthu scripts through Lipi Parichaya sessions.
Hands-on Manuscript Training
Participants worked directly on original palm-leaf manuscripts written in Grantha, Medieval Malayalam, and Vattezhuthu scripts. The practical training model helped scholars gain direct experience in transliteration and textual handling. This approach was designed to strengthen documentation, digitisation, and research use of classical Ayurvedic texts.
Key Scholarly Outputs
The workshop produced five rare and previously unpublished Ayurvedic manuscripts for advanced research. These included:
- Dhanwanthari (Vaidya) Chinthamani, transliterated from Grantha into Sanskrit.
- Dravyashuddhi, transliterated from Grantha into Sanskrit.
- Vaidyam, transliterated from Medieval Malayalam into Malayalam.
- Roga Nirnaya (Part I), transliterated from Medieval Malayalam into Malayalam.
- Vividharogangal, transliterated from Vattezhuthu into Malayalam and Sanskrit.
Broader Significance
This was the second successful CCRAS-CSU collaboration under the Ayurveda Manuscript Research Initiative. An earlier workshop at CSU Puri had transliterated 14 manuscripts. The Kerala workshop brought into light the importance of preserving Malayalam Ayurvedic manuscripts and strengthening evidence-based Ayurveda through systematic manuscript revival.
Last Modified: April 27, 2026