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The Maharashtra government will provide up to Rs 1 crore funds for the digitisation, transliteration, translation and publication of the Modi manuscripts in Tamil, M Thirumalai, Vice-Chancellor of Tamil University, and Ashok Solankar, Director of of Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha, announced on Tuesday.

Talking to reporters, they said the work would be carried out in phases spread over five years. As much as Rs 20 lakh would be allocated for digitisation of the manuscripts being preserved in Thanjavur. Another Rs 15 lakh would be spent for the cataloging and Rs 45 lakh for the transliteration, translation and publication of the Modi manuscripts. Around Rs 20 lakh would be spent to bring out any publications in the future, they added.

Speaking about the importance of the manuscripts that have been preserved at the Tamil University, the Vice Chancellor said Maratha rulers of Thanjavur, starting from Ekoji to Shivaji II, recorded royal correspondences, accounts and dairies in Modi script of Marathi language. The Indian Historical Documents Commission in 1946 resolved to transfer the Modi records in Thanjavur Palace to Saraswathi Mahal Library. Later, they were transferred to Madras State Archives, he added.

The manuscripts placed under A and B categories were political papers, marked for permanent preservation, and kept in Madras State Archives.

Those falling under C category were classified as papers under destruction and sent back to Saraswathi Mahal Library. These 863 bundles were later microfilmed and preserved. Based on these papers, three books on socio-political life during the Maratha rule in Thanjavur were brought out by the University, Thirumalai said.

Now, all Modi manuscripts from Tamil Nadu State Archives and record rooms of Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Tiruchy, Coimbatore and Cuddalore districts are being kept at Tamil University. It is estimated that the manuscripts run to 5 lakh pages.

Once these documents are deciphered and published, the history of the Maratha rule in south India could be re-written, the Vice Chancellor added.

The project would be coordinated by Professor R Vivekananda Gopal of Dravidian University, Kuppam, and Kala Sridhar, Head, Department of Rare Manuscripts, Tamil University.