DAILY NEWS WRAP | 7 NOVEMBER 2026
Manuscripts of three major Indian texts, the Mahabharata, the Rajatarangini and the Arthashastra, have been inscribed on the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register of UNESCO.
What was decided
Manuscripts of the Mahabharata, Kalhana’s Rajatarangini and Kautilya’s Arthashastra have been inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register, officials said on 5 November 2026.
The decision was taken at the 11th Session held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) prepared the nomination dossiers for the inscription.
The three texts
The Rajatarangini is a 12th-century chronicle of Kashmir written by Kalhana. The Rajatarangini manuscript is preserved at the Oriental Research Library, Srinagar.
The Arthashastra is a treatise on statecraft attributed to Kautilya. For exams, remember the pairing of each text with its author.
Cultural / Institutional framework
The Asia-Pacific Regional Register is the regional list under that programme. The nominations for these three Indian texts were prepared by the IGNCA and decided at the 11th Session in Jakarta.
CLAT angle
- Rajatarangini: Kalhana, a 12th-century chronicle of Kashmir.
- Arthashastra: Kautilya, a treatise on statecraft.
- 11th Session: Jakarta, Indonesia.
- IGNCA prepared the nomination dossiers.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Register | UNESCO Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register |
| Texts inscribed | Mahabharata, Rajatarangini, Arthashastra |
| Session | 11th Session, Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Officials said on | 5 November 2026 |
| Rajatarangini author | Kalhana |
| Arthashastra author | Kautilya (statecraft) |
| Nominations prepared by | Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) |
Mnemonic / memory hook
‘Kalhana wrote Kashmir, Kautilya wrote the State.’ K for Kalhana with Kashmir’s chronicle; K for Kautilya with statecraft.
Revision checklist
Learn this inscription as a short chain of facts. The register is the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register of UNESCO. Three Indian texts were inscribed: the Mahabharata, Kalhana’s Rajatarangini and Kautilya’s Arthashastra. The decision was taken at the 11th Session in Jakarta, Indonesia, and officials said on 5 November 2026 that the inscription had been made. The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) prepared the nomination dossiers. For exams, pair each text with its author: Rajatarangini with Kalhana, a 12th-century chronicle of Kashmir, and Arthashastra with Kautilya, a treatise on statecraft. Questions in this area are almost always built on such pairs, on the name of the register and on the venue of the session.
Quick recall for the exam: three texts, one register, one session. The texts are the Mahabharata, the Rajatarangini and the Arthashastra. The register is the Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register. The session is the 11th Session, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. The nominations were prepared by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. If a question gives you an author, match Kalhana to the Rajatarangini and Kautilya to the Arthashastra, and if it asks about the date of the announcement, remember 5 November 2026.
Sources
The Hindu and ThePrint, both dated 6 November 2026.
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