Zysk Copenhagen

The Kenneth G. Zysk Indological Manuscript Collection consists of approximately 3000 Indic manuscripts from Brahmin families in Varanasi and surrounding areas. The majority are paper manuscripts dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. The language is predominantly Sanskrit, though several Hindi manuscripts are also found. Subjects include all branches of Sanskrit learning, with a particular focus on ritual, law, science, and tantra.

The collection consists of several subcollections, each with their own unique provenance. The approximately 500 manuscripts which form part of the present project include three main subcollections. The first belonged to Vijayānand Tripāṭhī (1881-1955), a famous commentator on the Rāmcaritmānas who lived at Tulsi Ghat in Varanasi. The second derives from various families in the districts around Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Ghazipur. And the third comes from a family in the Mithila region of Bihar.

The collection was donated to the University of Copenhagen by Kenneth G. Zysk in 2020.

This project aims to create a comprehensive record of metadata on this collection as part of the Samhita initiative.