250 Scholars From MP Collaborate On 40-Volume Bundelkhand Encyclopedia, First 5 Volumes by 2026
The project brings together hundreds of scholars who are systematically documenting Bundelkhand’s identity, ensuring its language and heritage reach across the globe.
Published : April 7, 2026 at 1:49 PM IST
Sagar (Madhya Pradesh): Inspired by the legacy of Encyclopaedia Britannica, a comprehensive 40-volume Bundelkhand Encyclopedia is being compiled to document the region’s rich cultural, historical and linguistic heritage. And the ambitious project is being led by Hindi scholar Dr. Saroj Gupta, Principal of Arts and Commerce College, Sagar.
With over 250 scholars contributing across disciplines, nearly 60 percent of the work has already been completed while the first five volumes are scheduled for publication by November-December 2026.
The idea traces back to a lesser-known but important step in the 1940s by Maharaja Veer Singh Ju Deo of Orchha, who had envisioned a similar encyclopedia with the help of noted scholars like Banarsidas Chaturvedi and Krishnanand Gupta. Despite extensive groundwork, the project never proceeded as expected.
This unfinished effort besides her own literary upbringing, kept Gupta restless till she decided to revive the vision on a much larger and structured scale.
Before embarking on the encyclopedia, she compiled a comprehensive Bundeli dictionary of nearly 50,000 words, published in 2016 by the Bhasha Sansthan, Lucknow. The work was made possible with contributions from scholars like Maithili Sharan Gupta, Munshi Ajmeri and others, laying the foundation for the larger encyclopedic project.
“When I studied older literary works, I realized how vast and rich Bundelkhand is in culture, agriculture, literature and history. That realization led to this initiative. I could not stop myself from undertaking the work as envisioned years back,” she said.
The encyclopedia will follow a structured format similar to global reference works with an introductory section, followed by a brief thematic overview and then detailed subject-wise volumes.
Each of the 40 volumes will focus on specific domains such as language, literature, environment, history, archaeology, tourism and social traditions.
The first volume will focus on Bundeli language and literature, including grammar, dialects and linguistic variations.
More than 250 scholars, including retired professors, academicians, and former vice-chancellors, are contributing to the project. Institutional support has also come from National Book Trust, with experts like Dr. Shri Ram Tiwari guiding the entire team.
Taking cues from the update model of Encyclopedia Britannica, Gupta plans to revise and expand the Bundelkhand Encyclopedia every two to three years after publication.
“Our aim is to make Bundelkhand’s language, traditions, cuisine and cultural identity accessible not just across India but globally,” she said.
The project is also being aligned with parallel linguistic efforts such as trilingual folk dictionaries being developed in Agra, covering regional languages including Bundeli, Braj, Awadhi and Bhojpuri.
With publication preparations underway, the initiative is set to fulfill a decades-old intellectual aspiration, preserving Bundelkhand’s legacy in a definitive, scholarly format for generations to come.
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