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Education
UNESCO Adds Rajatarangini, Mahabharata, and Arthashastra to World Heritage Register
✍️ Amar Ujala · Delhi
🗓 05 Nov 2026, 08:16 PM
👁 18
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee has inscribed the ancient Indian texts Rajatarangini, Mahabharata and Arthashastra in its Memory of the World Register, as reported by Amar Ujala.
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee announced today that three seminal Indian works—Rajatarangini, the Mahabharata and the Arthashastra—have been inscribed on its Memory of the World Register. The decision, reported by Amar Ujala, highlights the global cultural importance of these texts.
Rajatarangini, a 12th‑century chronicle of Kashmir's history, the Mahabharata, the expansive epic that shapes Indian philosophy and identity, and the Arthashastra, the ancient treatise on statecraft traditionally attributed to Kautilya, are now recognised for their historical, literary and scholarly value.
The inclusion places the three works among a select group of documentary heritage worldwide, ranging from ancient manuscripts to oral traditions, that UNESCO seeks to preserve and promote. Indian cultural authorities have pledged to enhance conservation efforts and expand digital access to these texts.
By joining the Memory of the World Register, the texts gain heightened international visibility, supporting research, education and cultural tourism initiatives across India and beyond.
Rajatarangini, a 12th‑century chronicle of Kashmir's history, the Mahabharata, the expansive epic that shapes Indian philosophy and identity, and the Arthashastra, the ancient treatise on statecraft traditionally attributed to Kautilya, are now recognised for their historical, literary and scholarly value.
The inclusion places the three works among a select group of documentary heritage worldwide, ranging from ancient manuscripts to oral traditions, that UNESCO seeks to preserve and promote. Indian cultural authorities have pledged to enhance conservation efforts and expand digital access to these texts.
By joining the Memory of the World Register, the texts gain heightened international visibility, supporting research, education and cultural tourism initiatives across India and beyond.