Documentation and Preservation of Rare Manuscript Collections in Bomdila and Tawang Monasteries of Arunachal Pradesh: A Study

Cultural heritage reflects as an indispensable part of any country’s identity and manuscripts uplift the entire picture. But it can be noticed that most of these manuscripts are in a state of damage and extinction due to various aspects related to it such as the prevailing climatic conditions, lack of preservation policies, lack of interest and initiatives, etc. The concept of preservation, conservation, restoration has not been able to be implemented soundly in many places so far due to a lack of technical knowledge and manpower. For this reason, there must be a proper action plan defined before taking up any preservation work in hand. However, North East India itself has thousands of both Vaishnava and Buddhist manuscripts containing ideas regarding the cultural interaction of North East India with Tibet and parts of South East Asia. Therefore, the present study is concerned with the Buddhist Libraries of Bomdila and Tawang monasteries located in Arunachal Pradesh. It reflects their position as centers of Buddhist learning and diffusion of Buddhist teachings and ideas. The paper tries to evaluate the number of manuscripts available in these two monastery libraries along with the different preservation policies adopted, how the monasteries are being managed, source of funds, etc