The Vedic Heritage Portal of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) has been launched finally.

Seven years in the making, at an estimated cost of Rs 5 crore, the portal is a repository of vedic knowledge and traditions from across the country.

“The portal is an effort to map the vedic heritage of the country. It is a one-stop solution for researchers and others who would like to search any information regarding the Vedic heritage,” says an IGNCA official, adding that the it gives detailed information about oral traditions, textual tradition in form of published books/manuscripts, or implements (yajna-related objects).

Earlier this week, the portal was launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy.

Shah said that the Narendra Modi government was securing the knowledge of India’s ancient scriptures and manuscripts for the future generations through technology. “The younger generation will be able to carry forward the knowledge and tradition of Vedas and Upanishads… the world will be facilitated to know the rich history of India’s glorious culture,” he said.

Over 550 hours of audio-visual content of more than 18,000 Vedic mantras have been uploaded on the website, prepared in conjunction with people who know Vedas, Vedic research institutes, Vedapathi families and experts from all over the world, according to the IGNCA, which functions under the Ministry of Culture.

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The IGNCA is also planning to create a museum dedicated to the Vedic implements, or vessels used in yajna. “We are planning a virtual gallery of Vedic implements, which will showcase over 250 vessels from the vedic traditions of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh,” says an IGNCA official, adding that the effort is to preserve and promote the ‘Vedas’, which are an intangible heritage of humanity as per the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

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The aim is to collate information for making Vedas accessible to people and provide a forum for further dialogue. The Vedic Heritage Portal is available in a mix of English and Hindi, besides audio content in Sanskrit. Research articles and lectures on scientific subjects explaining the relevance of ‘Vedic knowledge’ in the perspective of modern science are also documented, the official says.

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The launch of the portal marked the organisation’s 36th Foundation Day celebrations. Member-Secretary Sachchidanand Joshi said that the IGNCA was also working on a project called Vrihattar Bharat, which will explore cultural linkages of India with 40 other countries, including South East Asian Nations such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Mongolia.

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