Latest update:02 January 2026 at 12:33 IST

UNESCO’s recognition of the Ramcharitmanas manuscripts highlights the remarkable 450-year journey of the Tulsidas epic, of which only the Ayodhya Kand remains today.

UNESCO recognition brings Ramcharitmanas back into the spotlight. (Image source: Instagram)

Ramcharitmanas is not just a religious text but one of the most influential literary works in Indian history. The epic, composed by Goswami Tulsidas in Awadhi in the 16th century, brought the story of Lord Ram out of Sanskrit scholarship and into the daily lives of people. Recited in homes, temples and public places for centuries, this verse has shaped devotional practices, language and cultural memory in large parts of India.

Her poems became an oral tradition, a moral guide, and a shared social reference, making the survival of even a single original manuscript of great importance.

In May 2024, the Ramcharitmanas Illustrated Manuscripts were inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World Regional Register for Asia and the Pacific. The recognition came during the 10th meeting of MOWCAP held in Mongolia and highlighted the cultural and historical importance of the epic outside India.

Two manuscripts were submitted for registration. One is believed to have been written by Tulsidas himself in the 16th century, while the other is an 18th-century Arabic translation, reflecting how the text traveled across regions and languages. While the UNESCO honor celebrates global recognition, it has also renewed interest in the fragile state of original manuscripts back home.

Rajapur: Where only Ayodhya Kand remains

About 40 km from Chitrakoot lies Rajapur in Uttar Pradesh, the birthplace of Tulsidas. Here, at the Ramcharit Manas Mandir located at Tulsi Ghat next to the Yamuna River, the only surviving original part of the Ramcharitmanas – the Ayodhya Kand – has been preserved.

The epic consists of seven kands, but only this section, spanning 165 handwritten pages, exists in its original form. Written nearly 450 years ago, the manuscript records Lord Ram’s life in Ayodhya which had severely deteriorated over time due to age and environmental exposure.

Here’s all about the six-can loss

Historical narratives trace the manuscript’s journey across generations. Tulsidas began writing the Ramcharitmanas in Ayodhya on Ram Navami in 1574 and completed it in 1576. Before his death in 1680 at Asi Ghat in Kashi, he handed over the original to his chief disciple Ganpat Ram.

According to family accounts, Ganpat Ram brought the manuscript to Rajapur. About 150 years later, a greedy disciple stole the manuscript and tried to escape across the Ganges by boat. When he was pursued, he threw the manuscript into the river. After days of efforts, only the central part – Ayodhya Kand – was restored. The remaining six cand were lost forever.

Saved, protected and locked

Today, the responsibility for protecting the manuscript falls on the descendants of Ganpat Ram. According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, the eldest of 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 bound with Japanese paper to slow further decay.

Ayodhya Kand is now preserved inside a vault in Rajapur. While UNESCO’s recognition draws global attention to Ramcharitmanas, the surviving pages are a reminder of India’s literary heritage and how close it came to being lost.