Telangana Inscriptions To Go Digital Under Bharat Shri
“This will help students and researchers, as they no longer need physical copies and can access as many transcripts as they want”: Dr K. Muniratnam Reddy
HYDERABAD: Important records from the Satavahana dynasty, Vijayanagara empire, Ikshvaku dynasty, Kakatiya dynasty and Vishnukundin dynasty will soon be available at the click of a button.
Around 6,000 inscriptions from Telangana, dating from the Satavahana period to the medieval era, are being digitised under the Bharat Shri project. They will be made available online free of cost to assist students and researchers.
The digitisation covers estampages and copper inscriptions from sites such as Kotilingala and Sitamaloddi, along with records from major dynasties. So far, about 600 inscriptions have been digitised and uploaded. “This will help students and researchers, as they no longer need physical copies and can access as many transcripts as they want,” said Dr K. Muniratnam Reddy, director (epigraphy), Archaeological Survey of India.
The ASI plans to shift the website from www.bharatshri.org to www.bharatshri.gov.in. Bharat Shri is a flagship initiative to create a national repository and virtual museum of India’s ancient inscriptions, enabling documentation, preservation and public access through modern technology.
Of around 80,000 inscriptions across the country, digitisation of 50,000 is underway, including 6,000 from Telangana. The process for the remaining 27,000 inscriptions is pending due to a High Court stay order.
