Patna: JD(U) national working president and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Kumar Jha met Union minister of culture and tourism, G S Shekhawat, on Tuesday. He urged the minister to include the Mithila Research Institute, located in Darbhanga, in the Gyan Bharatam Mission so that the rare and historical manuscripts preserved there can gain national recognition.“This will enable large-scale scientific surveys, preservation, and digitisation of the scattered rare, scientifically valuable, and culturally priceless manuscripts in Mithila,” Jha stated in the letter to Shekhawat.Jha also drew the Union minister’s attention to the ancient site of Balirajgarh in Madhubani district. He urged the minister to initiate a phased and scientific excavation project spanning at least the next 10 years to fully comprehend the historical significance and ancient urban character of the place and develop necessary infrastructure for researchers at the site, which should be conferred national recognition.Balirajgarh has served as a pivotal centre of the ancient civilisation of Mithila, possessing immense historical and cultural significance. The golden history of Mithila lies buried there, Jha told the minister.He said the minister expressed agreement regarding the points mentioned and assured that necessary action would be taken expeditiously on behalf of the central govt.Jha said the infrastructure of the Mithila Research Institute is already being strengthened with the support of the state govt. Upon joining the central govt’s Gyan Bharatam Mission, this institute will emerge as a major regional hub for manuscript preservation, knowledge traditions, and advanced research, he added.“This inclusion would enable large-scale scientific survey and documentation of manuscripts across the Mithila region, including those in private collections; decipherment and critical study of rare and unedited texts through expert engagement and digitisation; and long-term preservation using standardised national protocols,” the Rajya Sabha member stated.Extraordinary manuscript wealth is preserved in the Mithila institute. A considerable number of these manuscripts remain undeciphered, unedited, and unexplored, representing a largely untapped reservoir of knowledge spanning disciplines such as philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, linguistics, and ritual sciences, Jha wrote in his letter.
