A cache of 2,000-year-old birch bark manuscripts found in the Gilgit-Baltistan region has finally been fully digitized and partially translated. Written in the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit and Ghandari scripts, these texts contain some of the oldest known versions of the Lotus Sutra and other Mahayana scriptures.
The digitization project allows scholars worldwide to examine the fragile documents without physical contact. These manuscripts provide a vital link in understanding the transmission of Sanatan and Buddhist thought from the Indian heartland through the mountain passes into China and Tibet.