State government takes major step to digitally preserve Himachal’s rich historical heritage: Deputy CM

SHIMLA 8 September, 2026

· 1.7 million pages of Himachal’s historical records digitized

· Modern Digital Archives Portal to be launched soon

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri today said that state government is taking significant steps to digitally preserve its rich historical and cultural heritage. The first phase of digitization of around 1.7 million pages of rare and valuable records preserved in the Himachal Pradesh State Archives has been successfully completed.

Sh. Agnihotri said the initiative will help ensuring the long-term preservation of the valuable documentary heritage of the state and make these historical records more easily accessible to the public, researchers and historians.

He said that the Himachal Pradesh State Archives houses more than 30,000 historical records dating from 1807 onwards, besides rare books, gazetteers, settlement reports, manuscripts and other important documents. These records are regularly used by researchers, historians and academics from Himachal Pradesh, across India and abroad for study and research.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, work on the National Manuscript Survey is also underway under the Gyan Bharatam Mission. The survey is aimed at identifying, documenting and cataloguing rare and ancient manuscripts available in the state.

He said that manuscripts identified during the survey are being digitized under the National Digitization Drive through the Cluster Centre established at the Himachal State Museum in Shimla.

Sh. Agnihotri said that a modern Digital Archives Portal will soon be developed in collaboration with the Information Technology Department to provide easy online access to the digitised records.

The fully searchable digital data prepared under the digitization programme will be provided to the IT Department for hosting, management, maintenance and future upgrades. The portal will soon be dedicated to scholars, researchers, historians, academics and the general public.