The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under the

National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was presented to the President of

India Shri Ram Nath Kovind on 4 July, 2020 on the occasion of Guru
Purnima also known as Dharma Chakra Day. 

A set was then handed over to His Excellency Mr. Gonching Ganbold,
Ambassador of Mongolia to India by the Minister of State (Independent
Charge) of Ministry of Culture and Minister of State (Independent Charge)
of Ministry of Tourism, Shri Prahlad Singh Patel in presence of Minister of
State for Minority Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju.

About the Project

The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project under the National
Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian
Kanjur. It is expected that all Mongolian Kanjur 108 volumes will be
published by March 2022.

What is Mongolian Kanjur?

It is the Buddhist canonical text which is considered to be the most
important religious text in Mongolia. 'Kanjur' in the Mongolian language
means 'Concise Orders' that is the words of Lord Buddha in particular. The
language of the Kanjur is Classical Mongolian and there are 108 volumes.

It is held in high esteem by the Mongolian Buddhists and that they

worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in their daily
life or a part of their lifestyle as a sacred ritual. Almost in every Monastery
in Mongolia, the Kanjur are kept. Let us tell you that the Mongolian Kanjur
has been translated from Tibetan (Kangyur). In fact, the Mongolian
Kanjur is a source of providing a cultural identity to Mongolia.

Teaching's of Buddha | Buddhist Council |Causes of Decline

India and Mongolia: Historical and Cultural relationship
The historical interaction between India and Mongolia goes back
centuries. By Indian culture, Buddhism was carried to Mongolia and
religious ambassadors during the early part of the 1st millennium CE.
Traditionally, Tibetan Buddhism was the predominant religion. That is
today, Buddhists form the single largest religious denomination in
Mongolia.

During 1946-1990, it was suppressed under the communist regime with

only one showcase monastery allowed to remain. Several manuscripts
were consigned to flames and monasteries were bereft of their sacred
scriptures. As liberalisation began, since 1990, Buddhism has encountered
a resurgence. As per the national census of 2010, 53% of the Mongolians
identify as Buddhists.

About the Indian connection

Professor Raghu Vira during 1956-58 obtained a microfilm copy of the
rare Kanjur manuscripts and brought them to India. In the 1970s,
Mongolian Kanjur in 108 volumes was published by Professor Lokesh
Chandra, former Rajya Sabha MP. Now the present edition is being
published by the NMM for Manuscripts. In this, every volume will have a
list of contents indicating the original title of the sutra in Mongolian.

In 1955, India established formal diplomatic relations with Mongolia.

Since then both the countries overwhelming relationship has now reached
a new height. Therefore, the publication of the Mongolian Kanjur by the
Government of India for the Government of Mongolian will act as a
symbol of cultural symphony between India and Mongolia and during the
coming years will contribute to the furtherance of bilateral relations.

Do you know about Manuscript?

It is a handwritten composition mainly written on paper, bark, cloth, palm
leaf, or the other material dating back a minimum of seventy-five years.
It is important as it has significant scientific, historical, or aesthetic value.
Let us tell you that lithographs and printed volumes are not manuscripts. 

What is the National Mission for Manuscripts?

It was launched in February 2003 by the Government of India, under the
Ministry of Tourism and Culture with the mandate of documenting,
conserving and disseminating the knowledge preserved in the
manuscripts. One of the main aims of the mission is to publish rare and
unpublished manuscripts so that the knowledge enshrined in them is
spread to researchers, scholars, and the general public at large.
Therefore, under this scheme, the reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian
Kanjur has been taken up by the Mission. And it is expected that all the
volumes will be published by March 2022. This work is being carried out
under the supervision of eminent scholar Prof. Lokesh Chandra.

At last let us tell you that the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi in
his address on the occasion of Dhamma Chakra expressed "On this day of
Guru Poornima, we pay homage to the Lord Buddha. On this occasion, the
copies of the Mongolian Kanjur are being presented to the Government of
Mongolia. The Mongolian Kanjur is widely respected in Mongolia.”