Guwahati, July 22: In a move aimed at advancing the recognition of Assamese as a classical language, the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra Society on Tuesday handed over five rare sanchipat manuscripts to the Rashtrapati Bhavan library in New Delhi. The manuscripts, some of which date back centuries, will be preserved and displayed at the library as part of a national archive of literary heritage.
The formal handover took place at a ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhavan, where Kalakshetra Secretary Sudarshan Thakur presented the manuscripts to the Secretary to the President of India, Dipti Umashankar. The event was attended by officials from Assam Bhavan, as well as representatives of the Assam and Central governments.
Collected from various satras across Assam, the manuscripts include significant works by Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev and Mahapurush Madhavdev, key figures in the Assamese Bhakti movement. Among them are Kirtan Ghoxa, Adi Dasham, Nam Ghoxa, Bhakti Ratnavali, and an Assamese translation of Geet Govinda. The manuscripts were contributed by respected satradhikars and individual donors.
The manuscript of Kirtan Ghoxa, composed by Srimanta Sankardev, was provided by Nanigopal Dev Goswami of Dakshinpat Satra, Majuli. Adi Dasham, a poetic rendering of the tenth canto of the Bhagavata Purana, was contributed by Nityananda Dev Goswami of Narua Kuji Satra in Morigaon. Nam Ghoxa, composed by Madhavdev, came from Janardan Dev Goswami of Uttar Kamalabari Satra, Majuli, while Bhakti Ratnavali, translated into Assamese by Madhavdev, was provided by Bhavakanta Dev Goswami of Kamalabari Satra, Titabor.
An additional manuscript of Geet Govinda, originally written in Sanskrit by Jayadeva and translated into Assamese by Kabiraj Chakravarti during the reign of Swargadeo Rudra Singha, was donated by Suren Phukan of Jorhat.
The manuscripts were collected under the guidance of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and on the instructions of Chief Secretary Ravi Kota. The Kalakshetra Society coordinated with religious institutions and private donors to assemble the collection.
Kalakshetra Secretary Sudarshan Thakur expressed gratitude to the satradhikars and donors involved in the initiative, describing it as a step forward in showcasing the literary and cultural richness of Assam on a national platform. “This initiative not only preserves our heritage but also strengthens the case for Assamese as a classical language,” Thakur said.
