SAMHiTA Project: Preserving Shared India-Sri Lanka Buddhist Heritage

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Key takeaways

India and Sri Lanka jointly launched the SAMHiTA Project at Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo to digitize 100 ancient manuscripts.
The initiative is executed by the India International Centre with grant support from the Government of India.
The project focuses on digitizing fragile texts covering Buddhist philosophy, language, and tradition with a target completion date of November 2026.
This initiative strengthens bilateral ties and civilisational heritage between India and Sri Lanka.

India and Sri Lanka launched the SAMHiTA Project at the Gangaramaya Temple in Colombo.
The project aims to digitize 100 ancient manuscripts to strengthen cultural ties and protect shared Buddhist heritage.

The SAMHiTA project stands for South Asian Manuscript Histories and Textual Archive.
This project receives support from India as a dedicated initiative to digitize and protect ancient South Asian manuscripts.
Its primary goal is to preserve historical texts, protect religious and scholarly traditions, and make these records easily accessible online.

The India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi manages this initiative using financial grants from the Indian government.
The Gangaramaya Temple became the first partner in Sri Lanka after signing a memorandum of understanding in July 2026.
The team plans to complete the digital conversion of 100 ancient manuscripts covering Buddhist philosophy, language, and culture by November 2026.
This process creates safe digital records of delicate manuscripts while inviting other cultural groups in Sri Lanka to join.

Digitizing these texts protects South Asia's Buddhist history and language traditions for long-term study.
This work strengthens the historic relationship and cultural connection between the people of India and Sri Lanka.