New Delhi [India], January 24 (ANI): The 'Granth Kutir', inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu in Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 23, has been developed to enhance awareness among the people regarding the rich cultural and literary heritage of India.

'Granth Kutir has been developed at Rashtrapati Bhavan to enhance awareness among people about the rich cultural and literary heritage of India. The people can see the collection of books and manuscripts in the Granth Kutir during their tour to Rashtrapati Bhavan,' the Rashtrapati Bhavan posted on X.

Granth Kutir has a rich collection of manuscripts and books in 11 classical languages of India-- Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali.

The Granth Kutir showcases India's rich and diverse cultural, philosophical, literary and intellectual heritage. This Kutir has a collection of about 2,300 books in 11 Indian classical languages.

The Government of India conferred the 'Classical Language' status to Marathi, Pali, Prakrit, Assamese, and Bengali languages on October 03, 2024. Before that, six languages held the status of classical languages. The Granth Kutir collection covers a wide range of subjects, including epics, philosophy, linguistics, history, governance, science, and devotional literature, as well as the Constitution of India in these languages. Around 50 manuscripts are also part of the collection. Many of these manuscripts are handwritten on traditional materials such as palm leaf, paper, bark, and cloth.

The Granth Kutir has been developed through collaboration with the central government, state governments, universities, research institutions, cultural organisations, and individual donors from across the country.

The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, and institutions associated with them have supported this initiative. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is providing professional expertise in the management, conservation, documentation and display of manuscripts. (ANI)