Thrissur: The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences and the Central Sanskrit University made rare Ayurvedic manuscripts research-ready through a focused transliteration workshop held in Kerala.
The 15-day programme took place at the CSU Puranattukara campus in Thrissur from January 12 to 25. As part of its national mandate, CCRAS organised the workshop to document and digitise classical Ayurvedic texts. Consequently, the initiative strengthened efforts to preserve India’s medical heritage.
Notably, the two-week residential programme brought together 33 scholars. Of these, 18 specialised in Ayurveda, while 15 came from Sanskrit studies. As a result, the workshop encouraged strong interdisciplinary collaboration in manuscript research.
The training covered manuscriptology, palaeography and technical Ayurvedic terminology. In addition, participants received script orientation through Lipi Parichaya sessions on Grantha and Vattezhuthu. Most importantly, scholars worked hands-on with original palm-leaf manuscripts.
Ayurvedic manuscripts transliterated for advanced research
As a major outcome, scholars successfully transliterated five rare and unpublished Ayurvedic manuscripts. These included Dhanwanthari (Vaidya) Chinthamani, a 146-page Grantha manuscript rendered into Sanskrit. Similarly, Dravyashuddhi, a 110-page Grantha text, was also transliterated into Sanskrit.
Meanwhile, the team completed Vaidyam, a 59-page Medieval Malayalam manuscript transliterated into Malayalam. In addition, scholars worked on Roga Nirnaya, Part I, consisting of 75 pages transliterated from Medieval Malayalam into Malayalam. Furthermore, they transliterated Vividharogangal, a 78-page Vattezhuthu manuscript, into both Malayalam and Sanskrit.
Addressing the valedictory function, CCRAS Director General Prof Vaidya Rabinarayan Acharya said the programme marked the second collaboration with CSU under the Ayurveda Manuscript Research Initiative. Earlier, he recalled, the first workshop at CSU’s Puri campus led to the transliteration of 14 manuscripts.
Meanwhile, CSU Guruvayoor Campus Director Prof K K Shine and Prof K Vishwanathan reiterated the university’s commitment to continued collaboration with CCRAS. They stressed that preserving Malayalam Ayurvedic manuscripts remained vital to safeguarding regional medical heritage.
The programme was coordinated by Prof K Vishwanathan of CSU and Dr Parvathy G Nair of CCRAS. The valedictory session was attended by senior officials, academicians and subject experts, including Dr V C Deep, In-charge of CCRAS–National Ayurveda Research Institute for Panchakarma.
Overall, CCRAS said the workshop demonstrated how integrated efforts could deliver tangible research outputs within a short timeframe. Therefore, it added that such initiatives would strengthen evidence-based Ayurveda and ensure long-term conservation of classical medical knowledge.
