The Loden Foundation handed over 4.5 terabytes of digital data containing rare manuscripts from 31 remote temples across Bhutan to the Tenzum Office of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan. The handover ceremony took place on 24 October 2025, presided over by His Eminence Tsuglag Lopon Rinpoche of the Zhung Dratshang, the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan.
During the handover, the Loden Foundation presented the aims, objectives, process, outcomes, and benefits of the digital documentation of manuscripts. His Eminence Tsuglag Lopon Rinpoche expressed his appreciation for Loden’s initiative, emphasizing the importance of preserving sacred manuscripts for the continuity of Bhutan’s spiritual and cultural heritage.
The Loden Foundation also expressed its deep gratitude to the Zhung Dratshang for its collaboration and for granting permission to undertake the documentation of sacred manuscripts in various temples. Meanwhile, the Loden Foundation and the Tenzum Office held discussions on future collaborative plans to further strengthen the preservation and accessibility of Bhutan’s monastic archives.
Of the 31 archives, 24 were digitized between 2022 and 2024 with funding support from the Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) of the British Library, while the remaining archives were digitized the following year by the Loden Foundation.
With this milestone, the Foundation has now successfully digitized 75 archive centers across the country, producing over five million digital copies of Bhutan’s invaluable cultural heritage.
