Synopsis The National Mission for Manuscripts was established in February 2003 by the Government of India with Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) as the nodal agency. At present it is a part of IGNCA.

Its purpose is to locate, document, preserve and disseminate the knowledge content of Indian manuscripts. The Mission, through it nation-wide network and documentation efforts, is engaged in preserving and rendering accessible India's textual heritage, seeking to link the knowledge of the past with the future. The Mission organizes seminars on various subjects related to Indian knowledge in different locations of India. The papers presented in the seminars are collected and brought out under the Samiksika Series.

In February 2007, the National Mission for Manuscripts, in its attempt to bring Indian manuscripts to a platform of discussion, debate and creative engagement, organized a seminar on, Text and Variations of the Mahabharata: Contextual Regional and Performative Traditions. While taking a fresh look at the text, the seminar attempted at grappling with the traditions and variations of the great epic across India and beyond.