Odisha launches e-Pothi for palm leaf manuscripts

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar, Sep 29: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday launched e-Pothi, an online manuscript cataloguing system, to help students and research scholars access the rare palm leaf manuscripts of the State from their homes.The new venture was launched at a function held at the Odisha State Museum in the city.Under the e-Pothi system, about 40,000 palm leaf manuscripts preserved at the State Museum will be available online in the State museum’s website.Odisha has as many 27 sections of palm leaf manuscripts relating to Veda, Tantra, Purana, Ayurveda, Jyotisha, Shilpasastra, Mathematics, grammar, Geetagovinda etc.Speaking on the occasion, Patnaik expressed hope that the e-Pothi initiative will help promote Odisha’s culture among the people at large.This digitized version of the manuscripts have been prepared and put online by the State Culture Department with the help of National Informatics Centre, Odisha.The rare manuscripts available with the Odisha State Museum can be seen on http://www.odishamuseum.nic.in/