Rare Buddhist Manuscript Preservation Project (RBMPP)

University of The West and Nagarjuna Institute of Exact Methods (NIEM) have jointly launched the Rare Buddhist Manuscript Preservation Project through scanning the manuscripts and preserved in CDROM or DVDs. These scanned Manuscripts will be made available online soon. So far, Nepal Archive has preserved their collections through microfilming the Mss. through Nepal German Manuscript Preservation Project and Asha Archive has scanned the manuscripts and preserved in CDROM and DVDS. But it is not easy for scholars around the world to come to Kathmandu and get a microfilm copy of desired Manuscripts.

Now in the twenty first century, these microfilms have been out of date. It is now time for viewing these manuscripts online through internet. So far, Nagarjuna Institute has already inputted 77 sutras, 107 shastra texts, 6 Buddhist tantras and 108 stotras on line. The scholars are expecting original Sanskrit manuscripts for authenticity of the texts. In Kathmandu valley, there are several Manuscripts in the private collections, which have not yet digitized and microfilmed. Now these Manuscripts will be scanned and put online, it will be an enormous benefit for the readers.