Rajatarangini, Mahabharata and Arthashastra Enter UNESCO's Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Register

The Memory of the World Programme is a UNESCO effort to protect the world's most important documents: old manuscripts, books, letters, maps, photographs, films and sound recordings. It keeps lists, called registers, of documents so valuable that they belong to all humanity. Getting on a register does not give money or legal protection. It gives global recognition, and it pushes countries to preserve these documents and make them easier for people to see and study.

The Rajatarangini, meaning "River of Kings", is a long Sanskrit poem written by Kalhana in the 12th century (around 1148-1149 CE). It tells the story of the kings of Kashmir from legendary early times up to Kalhana's own days. It is often called the first real work of history writing in India, because Kalhana tried to check his sources and tell events in time order, instead of only praising kings.

The Arthashastra is an ancient Sanskrit book on how to run a state: how a king should rule, collect taxes, run the economy, keep law and order, use spies, make friends and enemies among other kingdoms, and fight wars. It is credited to Kautilya, who is traditionally identified with Chanakya (also called Vishnugupta), the adviser of Chandragupta Maurya (4th century BCE). "Artha" means wealth or material well-being, and "shastra" means a body of knowledge, so the title means "the science of wealth and governance".