The Ministry of Culture has taken up the project of reprinting of 108 volumes of Mongolian Kanjur under the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM).
The first set of five volumes of Mongolian Kanjur published under the NMM was presented to President Ram Nath Kovind on the occasion of Guru Purnima, also known as Dharma Chakra Day, on July 4, the Ministry said in a press release.
It is expected that all the 108 volumes of the Mongolian Kanjur will be published by March 2022.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address on the occasion of Dharma Chakra said, "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."
Mongolian Kanjur, the Buddhist canonical text in 108 volumes is considered to be the most important religious text in Mongolia. In the Mongolian language 'Kanjur' means 'concise orders'- the words of Lord Buddha in particular. It is held in high esteem by the Mongolian Buddhists and they worship the Kanjur at temples and recite the lines of Kanjur in daily life as a sacred ritual. Mongolian Kanjur has been translated from Tibetan. The language of the Kanjur is classical Mongolian.
( With inputs from ANI )