Return of Jain Manuscripts from Wellcome Collection

London’s Wellcome Collection has made a big move. They’re going to return over two thousand rare Jain manuscripts to the Jain community. It’s a step toward restoring some serious cultural heritage.

This collection, they think, is probably the largest of its kind outside South Asia. It’s been sitting in the museum for over a hundred years.

This decision didn’t happen overnight. It followed years of back-and-forth discussions, collaboration between the Wellcome Collection and the UK-based Institute of Jainology.

What’s inside? Centuries of texts. Stuff about religion, medicine, philosophy, literature, and culture. They’re written in Prakrit, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Rajasthani, and early Hindi scripts.

Some of the pieces are really heavy. One document, for instance, reflects ethical ideas that later became linked to Mahatma Gandhi and India’s freedom movement. Reports say it contains a pretty sharp critique of British colonial rule in India.

There are specific treasures too. A rare illustrated copy of the Jain scripture ‘Kalpasutra’ from the early 16th century. And then there’s a fragile handwritten manuscript from 1688. It’s believed to be one of the earliest surviving copies of the Hindi medical text ‘Vaidyamanotsav’. That was originally written back in 1592.

So where are they going? First, the manuscripts are heading to the Dharmanath Network in Jain Studies at the University of Birmingham. Scholars, researchers, and members of the Jain community will be working on preserving, studying, and translating everything to make it accessible.

Mehool Sanghrajka, the Managing Trustee of the Institute of Jainology, called it pioneering. He said it’s a model for other faith communities.

“Wellcome Collection’s brave decision to return these 2,000 sacred manuscripts is both pioneering and a model for other faith communities,” he remarked.

He also touched on the history of the collection. “We recognize that some of these manuscripts might not have survived the turmoil in India post-independence. We are grateful to Wellcome for the care and respect they showed these texts.”

The Institute of Jainology stressed that the focus needs to be on collaboration. Rebuilding access to heritage. Not judging the past by today’s standards.

“We look forward to our collective efforts in ensuring these treasures are accessible to future generations,” Sanghrajka added.

The aGreement itself was signed this week. It was between the Wellcome Trust, the Institute of Jainology, and the University of Birmingham. A full legal aGreement is expected soon.

Daniel Martin, Associate Director of Collections & Digital at the Wellcome Collection, weighed in. He thanked the Jain community for working on this landmark restitution. He said they formed a strong bond through it.

“We have set the bar high for a collaborative and compassionate approach to restitution. It has to recognize the hurt caused by unethical acquisition and retention of material heritage,” Martin stated.

The museum admitted where the trouble started. More than half of the manuscripts were acquired during the colonial period by Sir Henry Wellcome from a Jain temple in Punjab that doesn’t exist anymore. They said the texts were bought cheaply. Not in the best interests of the original owners.

“They were bought at a low price and against the best interests of their original owners,” the museum said. “The aGreement shows the Wellcome Collection’s commitment to supporting a more equitable future through ethical management of its collections.”

The Dharmanath Network was chosen for the move. It’s the first research institution in the UK funded entirely by Jain communities across the UK, India, and the US.

Dr Marie Helene Gorisse, who leads the Network at Birmingham, said the goal is maximum impact. “By working together, we will make sure that the return of the manuscripts by Wellcome Collection to the Jain community has maximum impact for students, researchers, members of the community, and for the general public.”

The manuscripts themselves were catalogued way back in the early 2000s. That was done by Dr Kanhaiyalalalal Virji Sheth and Dr Kalpana Sheth through the Institute of Jainology. The Wellcome Collection promised those research notes would be made public online.

Jenny Waldman, Director of the Art Fund, who supported the early research, said research is usually the first way to uncover what museums hold. She felt proud that the support from a Headley Fellowship helped make this important work happen.