AI, Blockchain Combine to Preserve Sanskrit Manuscripts

A new study, *Multimodal AI-driven manuscript fingerprinting and blockchain provenance for Sanskrit heritage: preservation, authentication, variant linking and ethical monetisation*, proposes a framework to give fragile Sanskrit manuscripts a lasting digital identity. By combining computer vision, optical character recognition adapted for historical scripts, and linguistic analysis of grammar and metre, the system aims to create a forensic "fingerprint" for each manuscript, capturing script style, page structure, damage marks and textual content.

This multimodal signature would help distinguish originals from reproductions and link scattered variant copies that differ due to centuries of scribal copying. A blockchain layer would then record time-stamped, tamper-evident provenance data, tracking digitisation, conservation and ownership history without storing entire files on-chain.

The study also raises concerns about ethical monetisation, privacy for sensitive ritual or community texts, and the risk of AI "hallucinating" incorrect readings. It argues that success depends on Sanskrit expertise, community participation and transparent governance, not just technological novelty, to responsibly safeguard this vast textual heritage.