The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL), created in 2001 through a collaboration between the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Ministry of Ayush, serves as a comprehensive prior-art database safeguarding India’s traditional knowledge.
It contains information from ancient texts related to Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga. Knowledge originally recorded in languages such as Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Bhoti has been transcribed into English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese.
To date, the database includes 5,19,978 formulations and techniques, with major contributions from Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Yoga. Among these are nearly 3,000 documented surgical methods, therapies, tools and dietary practices across Indian medical systems.
To further strengthen this knowledge ecosystem, the Ministry of Ayush has launched the Ayusoft portal, which turns classical Ayurvedic texts into a structured digital repository. It offers tools such as an Ayurvedic encyclopedia, a glossary of Ayurvedic terms and an e‑book portal for classical literature. In the Northeast, the North Eastern Institute of Ayurveda and Folk Medicine Research in Pasighat continues to document folk healing traditions across various tribes, validating local medicinal practices and preserving region-specific knowledge systems.
The National Institute of Ayurveda in Jaipur has been functioning as the national nodal centre since 2020 for locating, collecting, preserving and digitizing traditional medical manuscripts stored in libraries, temples, private collections and among traditional Vaidya families.
Rare manuscripts written on palm leaves, handmade paper and other ancient materials are being digitally archived for academic and research use, with 560 manuscripts and 356 rare books already digitized. Similarly, CCRAS has developed several digital repositories, including authoritative Ayurvedic textbooks, manuscript repositories, historical showcases and medical heritage archives. The Central Council for Research in Siddha is also engaged in digitizing palm leaf and paper manuscripts under its Mission P2P initiative.
Institutions across India continue this preservation work. The Central Library of the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda in Jamnagar has digitized manuscripts and decades of academic research, while the National Institute of Sowa Rigpa in Leh has digitized around 70 ancient Sowa-Rigpa texts and is working with CSIR-TKDL to build a dedicated digital library.
The fundamental purpose of TKDL is to prevent the misappropriation of Indian traditional knowledge through wrongful patent claims.
Access to TKDL is provided to 18 international patent offices under non‑disclosure agreements to assist in examination of patent applications. The CSIR‑TKDL Unit actively monitors patent filings and submits third-party observations and pre‑grant oppositions when applications overlap with traditional knowledge. Since 2009, this has led to 375 patent applications being refused, withdrawn, amended or set aside. The Office of the Controller General of Patents has also issued guidelines for examining Ayush-related inventions to ensure that patents are granted only for genuinely novel and inventive solutions, while preventing the patenting of traditional knowledge already documented in resources like TKDL. Additional safeguards are in place under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which regulates access to biological resources and ensures fair benefit-sharing.
Research councils under the Ministry of Ayush continue to support documentation and scientific validation of traditional knowledge, supported by the Ayush Research Portal, which now hosts over 43,000 evidence-based research articles. The National Commission for Homoeopathy has introduced research-oriented coursework to encourage academic engagement with traditional knowledge.
To promote research, innovation and capacity building, the Ministry implements the Ayurgyan central sector scheme, initiated in 2021–22. The scheme supports training, research and education in Ayush, with components dedicated to capacity building, research and the recently added Ayurveda Biology Integrated Health Research. Financial assistance is provided to eligible institutions nationwide under its guidelines.
CCRAS also runs the Ayurveda Gyan Naipunya Initiative (AGNI), aimed at mainstreaming practical Ayurveda knowledge through scientific validation and training practitioners in research methodology and good clinical practices. Support has also been extended toward certification of traditional healers through the Quality Council of India.
On the global front, the Ministry runs the Promotion of International Cooperation Scheme, supporting Ayush manufacturers and service providers in expanding the international presence of Indian systems of medicine. The scheme helps promote Ayush products and services abroad, facilitates academic collaborations through Ayush Chairs in foreign universities, and supports workshops and symposiums to raise global awareness. Under this scheme, 27 country-level MoUs, 16 Ayush Chair MoUs and 54 institution-level MoUs have been signed, strengthening India’s traditional knowledge footprint internationally.
