🚀 Exploring a 400-Year-Old Treasure: A Workshop on the Samarth Ramdas Valmiki Ramayana Manuscript

I recently attended a profound one-day critical study workshop focused on a remarkable piece of India's literary heritage: the Valmiki Ramayana manuscript penned by Samarth Ramdas Swami.

This isn't just any manuscript—it's a 400-year-old document, written in 1622 AD, offering a unique lens into both the epic and the scholarly traditions of the 17th century.

The workshop, "Rameṇa Rāmadāsena Likhitam Vālmīkirāmāyaṇam", was a collaborative effort by the Department of Sanskrit Language & Literature, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek, and Shri Samarth Vagdevata Mandir, Dhule, held on January 17, 2026.

📜 Key Insights from Esteemed Scholars:

✅ Prof. Nanda Puri illuminated the manuscript's nuances, explaining Samarth Ramdas's writing rules and meticulous study methods. She emphasized that the Valmiki Ramayana remains a vital and vastly open field for contemporary research.

✅ Prof. Parag Joshi issued a compelling call to action, urging Sanskrit students to edit at least one manuscript in their lifetime to unlock and share its knowledge for future generations.

✅ Dr. Nilesh Joshi (IIT Bombay) provided masterful guidance on the Ramayana's chronology, manuscript preservation, and the distinct textual traditions (Dakshinamnaya & Uttaramnaya) within this work.

✅ Shri Sharad Kuber detailed the journey of this very manuscript, now published in its complete form by the Shri Samarth Vagdevata Mandir Trust.

💡 The session was a perfect blend of deep traditional scholarship and practical research methodology, highlighting the urgent need to preserve, study, and digitize our ancient texts.

🙏 My sincere gratitude to the organizers, visionary speakers, and all participants for an enriching dialogue that connects our past with present academic rigor.

This workshop was a powerful reminder of the living history in our archives and the critical role of interdisciplinary collaboration in cultural preservation.

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