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UNESCO inscribes Mahabharata, Rajatarangini and Arthashastra manuscripts in Asia-Pacific register
સમાચારમાં કેમ?
Epics, a Kashmir chronicle and Kautilya's treatise: which UNESCO register now holds them? Heritage Prelims answer inside
Manuscripts of the Mahabharata, Rajatarangini and Arthashastra were added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific register.
Why it matters: asked in UPSC 2008; factual, Prelims-type; Karnataka-specific
What you need to know
2 મિનિટ
On 5 November 2026 manuscripts of the Mahabharata, Rajatarangini and Arthashastra were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.
The Mahabharata is the epic of the Kuru dynasty, Kalhana's Rajatarangini is a chronicle of the kings of Kashmir, and the Arthashastra is the classical treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya.
The register is a regional counterpart of the international Memory of the World Register that protects documentary heritage.
સ્રોત: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
મુખ્ય તથ્યો
Remember these
- On 5 November 2026 manuscripts of the Mahabharata, Rajatarangini and Arthashastra were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register
- The Mahabharata is the epic of the Kuru dynasty
- Rajatarangini, by Kalhana, is a chronicle of the kings of Kashmir
- The Arthashastra is the classical treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya
- The Asia-Pacific register is the regional counterpart of the international Memory of the World Register, which protects documentary heritage
પ્રિલિમ્સ · મેઇન્સ
How the exam will ask it
પ્રિલિમ્સ
- The Memory of the World programme of UNESCO protects documentary heritage such as manuscripts, and its regional registers complement the international register.
- The Rajatarangini, a chronicle of the kings of Kashmir, was written by Kalhana.
- The Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft, is attributed to Kautilya, while the World Heritage List covers sites rather than manuscripts.
મેઇન્સ
GS Paper 1 (Art and Culture): documentary heritage is a core part of India's cultural legacy. The issue is preserving fragile manuscripts; UNESCO's Memory of the World registers give recognition and encourage conservation and access. The way forward is digitisation, conservation and wider public access, for example through the National Mission for Manuscripts.
PYQ connection
A question UPSC has already asked on this
Recently, the manuscripts of which one of the following have been included in the UNESCO's Memory of World Register?
- Abhidhamma Pitaka
- Mahabharata
- Ramayana
- Rig-Veda
જવાબ જુઓ
જવાબ: D
Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.
Practise this PYQ →Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
The Mahabharata, Rajatarangini and Arthashastra manuscripts were inscribed in November 2026 on which UNESCO list?
- Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
- World Heritage List
- Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register
- Creative Cities Network
જવાબ જુઓ
જવાબ: C — Correct: Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register — Manuscripts are inscribed on the Memory of the World register, here its Asia-Pacific regional version. • Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity — wrong: That list covers living traditions and not documentary manuscripts. • World Heritage List — wrong: The World Heritage List covers sites, not manuscripts. • Creative Cities Network — wrong: The Creative Cities Network designates cities, not documents.
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