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UNESCO’s recognition of Ramcharitmanas manuscripts highlights the remarkable 450-year journey of Tulsidas’ epic, of which only the Ayodhya Kand survives today.
UNESCO’s recognition brings Ramcharitmanas back into focus. (Photo Credit: Instagram)
The Ramcharitmanas is not just a religious text but one of the most influential literary works in Indian history. Composed in the 16th century by Goswami Tulsidas in Awadhi, the epic brought the story of Lord Ram out of Sanskrit scholarship and into the everyday lives of people. Recited in homes, temples and public spaces for centuries, it has shaped devotional practice, language and cultural memory across large parts of India.
Its verses became oral tradition, moral guide and shared social reference – making the survival of even a single original manuscript deeply significant.
In May 2024, illustrated manuscripts of the Ramcharitmanas, were inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register. The recognition came during the 10th MOWCAP meeting held in Mongolia and highlighted the epic’s cultural and historical significance beyond India.
Two manuscripts were submitted for inscription. One is believed to have been authored by Tulsidas himself in the 16th century, while the other is an 18th-century Arabic translation, reflecting how the text travelled across regions and languages. While the UNESCO honour celebrates global recognition, it has also renewed attention on the fragile condition of the original manuscripts back home.
Rajapur: where only Ayodhya Kand remains
Around 40 kilometres from Chitrakoot lies Rajapur in Uttar Pradesh, the birthplace of Tulsidas. It is here, at the Ramcharit Manas Mandir located on Tulsi Ghat by the Yamuna, that the only surviving original section of the Ramcharitmanas is preserved – the Ayodhya Kand.
The epic consists of seven kands, but only this single section, spanning 165 handwritten pages, exists in its original form. Written nearly 450 years ago, the manuscript records Lord Ram’s life in Ayodhya and had deteriorated severely over time due to age and environmental exposure.
Here is all about the loss of six kands
Historical accounts trace the manuscript’s journey through generations. Tulsidas began writing the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya on Ram Navami in 1574 and completed it in 1576. Before his death in 1680 at Assi Ghat in Kashi, he handed over the original copy to his chief disciple, Ganpat Ram.
According to family accounts, Ganpat Ram brought the manuscript to Rajapur. About 150 years later, a disciple driven by greed stole the manuscript and attempted to flee across the Ganga by boat. When pursued, he threw the manuscript into the river. After days of effort, only the central portion – the Ayodhya Kand – was recovered. The remaining six kand were lost forever.
Preserved, protected and locked away
Today, the responsibility of safeguarding the manuscript rests with Ganpat Ram’s descendants. According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the eldest among the 11th generation of caretakers, 79-year-old Ramashray Tripathi, says the manuscript underwent chemical treatment in 2004 by teams from the Archaeological Survey of India. The fragile pages were later laminated using Japanese paper to slow further decay.
The Ayodhya Kand is now kept inside a vault in Rajapur. As UNESCO recognition brings global attention to the Ramcharitmanas, the surviving pages stand as a reminder of both India’s literary heritage and how close it came to being lost.
Delhi, India, India
January 02, 2026, 12:33 IST
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