Kathmandu, Feb. 21 -- Nepal is home to an estimated 180,000 manuscripts. Only around a quarter of these manuscripts are housed in public institutions such as the National Archives. The rest remain with local custodians who have safeguarded them for generations. They include religious and philosophical texts, narrative and devotional literature, ritual manuals and bhajan manuscripts that continue to shape living Newa traditions.

"I have about two centuries-old manuscripts which are passed down through generations," says Hem Ratna Bajracharya, a custodian from Lalitpur. "Now we have to keep them safe."

Preservation is no simple task. Paper weakens over time, ink fades, and the Valley is prone to earthquakes and monsoon moisture. Even natu...