Lucknow: Yogi government in Uttar Pradesh is going to give a unique gift to Ram devotees across the world. The first edition of the Global Encyclopedia of the Ramayan is ready for publication.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will release the historical edition on the occasion of Janaki Navami on Saturday. Several scholars of the country and the world, including Additional Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs, Dr. Akhilekh Mishra, will be present in the release program to be held in Lucknow.
The version of the Global Encyclopedia of the Ramayana, being prepared by the Ayodhya Research Institute, will also be launched as an e-book on the specific instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The first edition of the Encyclopedia will be released in the English language. A month later, the first edition in Hindi and Tamil languages will be published.
The Uttar Pradesh Department of Culture, in collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, is involved in this mega project by combining the tangible and intangible legacy of the Ramayana from 205 countries of the world. For this, a workshop was organised by the department which included 70 scholars from West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and several states of Delhi.
According to Shishir, the Director of Culture, Uttar Pradesh, there is a plan to publish the Ramayana Encyclopedia in 200 volumes. For this, the Ayodhya Research Institute has set up a board of editors and advisors around the country and the world. The first edition has been designed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
The publication of Ramayana will also be released in Oriya, Malayalam, Urdu and Assamese languages along with the first edition of the Global Ramayan Encyclopedia. Also, the oldest and authentic book about Ayodhya, ‘Ayodhya Mahatma’ will be released in the English language to expand it globally.
It was on May 30, 2018, when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed to conduct a survey and publication of all the Ramayana sites of the world at the review meeting of Ayodhya Research Institute, Ayodhya. Following this, the Department of Culture has implemented this and has given the first version a shape.
Globally, evidence of the Ramayana’s tangible heritage, architecture, sculpture and painting is found in countries around the world including Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Europe since about 5000 years ago. According to the scholars, almost all countries of Europe accepted Ram as their first ancestor. Scholars claim that ‘Ram Takht’ is received in Gandhara region in 2500 BC and many villages in Gandhar have their names on Ram and Sita. Taxila is named after the elder son of Bharat, Taksh. The entire Gandhara region of Pakistan is rich in Ramayana culture.
According to scholars, there is evidence of a Ramayana civilization in Italy before the Roman civilization in Europe. Vetican City, France, Germany, Netherlands also have elements of this culture. (UNI)