Accession no: ARC-KA-0001
Title: Śrī Rāma Rakṣā Stotra
Material: Agar bark folio
Script: Eastern Nāgarī (Bengali)
Language: Sanskrit
Date/Period: Early 18th Century

Genre/Text Type: Early Manipuri Vaiṣṇavism; Ramanandi Sampradaya

Description of Contents:
The manuscript contains a text associated with the Ramanandi Sampradaya and reflects the early phase of Manipuri Vaiṣṇavism. The Rāma Rakṣā is traditionally employed for the protection of the body and mind, invoking Lord Rāma as a divine guardian against physical harm, psychological distress, and unseen afflictions. The text reflects ritual, recitational, and apotropaic functions within Vaiṣṇava devotional practice.

Physical Description:
Unbound illuminated folio manuscript (korbek) with rubrication, comprising 13 folios (ff. 1r–13v), written on both recto and verso in black and red ink in the Bengali script. Gold, red, and green pigments are used in the illumination. The red pigment contains mercury, while the green pigment contains arsenic. The text on the verso is written in reverse orientation. Folio numbering appears on the verso in Bengali numerals (“Ram Raksa” 1–13). The manuscript measures 9 × 17 cm. The manuscript is rubricated, with red ink used for emphasis, headings, invocatory elements, and textual divisions, alongside the main text written in black ink.

Provenance:
The colophon, which has a gold border on a green ground, provides information about the provenance of the manuscript. It mentions the copyist and the owner. The text was copied by Ganashyam Sharma and belonged to Maharaja Gharib Nawaz (r.1709-1748 CE). The manuscript was preversed by Khagembam Gouro Singh of Singjamei Wangma Bheigyabati Leikai, Imphal East. In the late 19 century when Churachand was selected as the new king of Manipur after the Anglo-Manipuri War in 1891. His new palace site was selected at Guru lampak at Wangkhei. The Khagembam family who used to settle at the Guribam temple complex, the first hindu temple constructed by King Charairongba in 1707 CE, when Churachand in search of his brahmin family, asked the Khagembamfamily to shift to Bheigyabati leikai. In 2021, Khagembam Gouro’s son Khagembam Sashikanta donated the Manuscript to ARC Library and Archive.

Digital Format / Access:
This record describes a digital surrogate of the manuscript. The physical manuscript is held at the Korbek Archive, Advanced Research Consortium Library & Archives (ARCLA). Digitization and metadata documentation were carried out directly from the physical manuscript.

Digitization Note:
Digitized on January 05, 2026 by Dr. Yumnam Sapha Wangam Apanthoi M and Wangam Somorjit

Full Citation:
Śrī Rāma Rakṣā Stotra, Khagembam Gouro Collection, ARC-KA-0001, Korbek Archive, ARCLA, Manipur

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