When King Janaka convened a grand yajna in the ancient kingdom of Videha to discover who, among the sages, possessed the highest wisdom, it was Gargi Vachaknavi who silenced them all. The only woman philosopher in the court, Gargi questioned the nature of reality itself, “What is the warp and woof of the universe?”, leaving even the learned Yajnavalkya speechless. Her fearless inquiry earned her the title Brahmavadini — the knower of the ultimate truth.
Centuries later, the spirit of Gargi’s quest endures in the palaces, libraries, and manuscripts of Mithila and Darbhanga. These were not just seats of power but sanctuaries of scholarship where the rulers of princely states patronised learning across India and beyond. Their contributions — ranging from the establishment of universities and libraries to the preservation of Sanskrit, Pali, and Buddhist texts — form the core of the exhibition Ink and Eternity, currently on display at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi until October 14.
Organised as part of the annual IIC Experience: Festival of the Arts — held this year under the theme SaVanitha: As She Speaks — the exhibition brings together priceless manuscripts, facsimiles, letters and artefacts from the collections of Nav Nalanda Mahavihara, Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University, and Lalit Narayan Mithila University, among others. Curated in collaboration with scholars and archivists, it celebrates Bihar’s twin legacies — intellectual inquiry and royal patronage — that have long helped preserve India’s cultural memory.
Among the highlights are the ancient Tipitaka texts, the Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita Sutra, and the Kammavaca manuscripts in Burmese and Sinhalese scripts — each tracing the spread of Buddhist philosophy across Asia. The Darbhanga section, meanwhile, offers a glimpse into the Raj Pustakalaya (Royal Library) once maintained by the Darbhanga Maharajas. Established in the late 19th century, the library held tens of thousands of works in Sanskrit, English, and Pali — later distributed among Bihar’s leading institutions to ensure their survival.
Yet, as Prof Daman K Jha of Lalit Narayan Mithila University notes, the task of preservation remains daunting. “Many of these texts lie in fragile condition, and our institutions lack the resources for proper conservation,” he said. “The legacy of Darbhanga’s scholars and rulers deserves the same care and attention as the monuments they once built.”
Through its rare manuscripts and royal records, Ink and Eternity reminds visitors that Bihar’s history is not only written in stone and scripture — it is a living inheritance that continues to seek guardians in the present.