The Legacy of Treasure: Manuscript

Abstract

The transmission of cultural heritage from one generation to another could be possible through various mediums and manuscript is one of them. In the form of manuscript collection, all the ancient civilizations have preserved their precious cultural heritage. In fact, manuscripts are the legacy of treasure for them. The present paper deals with the origin, historical background and various other aspects of the precious heritage - ‘Manuscript’. Therefore mainly, the secondary sources of data have been used for the study. Most of the facets are described with the help of illustrations, bring from various sources. It is found that the beginning of a writing tradition brought a major change to the human civilization. The manuscripts available in different forms reflect the background of the cultural heritage of the civilizations. These are preserved in different libraries, academic institutions, museums, religious institutions and likewise in private collections of different corner of the globe. Due to different factors, numerous manuscripts are now in a very vulnerable condition. The available manuscripts are tried to preserve and make them accessible as far as possible. It is suggested that every citizen of all the nations should feel his/her duty to preserve this precious heritage and it is only possible through making general awareness regarding significance of the explicit knowledge of our ancestors -‘Manuscript’.