Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday inaugurated e-Pothi, an online manuscript cataloguing system at the Odisha State Museum here to help research scholars, students and historians access rare palm leaf manuscripts from home.
Researchers can view about 40,000 manuscripts on 27 ancient subjects which can be available in soft form in the State Museum’s website. The originals (hard copies, most of which are palm leaf and scripts and engravings) have been preserved at the State Museum. Earlier, researchers had to come to the museum to get copies of the manuscripts on payment of fee, fixed by the museum authorities.
“The new system will help in promoting Indian culture and tradition in the world,” said the Chief Minister. One can subscribe www.odishamuseum.nic.in to avail the service.
The manuscripts are based on Veda, tantra, purana, ayurveda, jyotisha, mathematics, grammar, lexicons and silpasashtra, among others. Tourism and Culture Minister Ashok Panda, Bhubaneswar MP Prasanna Patsani were present on the occasion.
