The Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is a collection of traditional knowledge, practices, and innovations from India. It includes knowledge from many disciplines, such as medicine, science, technology, and the arts.
Purpose
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To promote the use of indigenous knowledge to solve current and future challenges
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To incorporate IKS into school and higher education curriculums
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To preserve and share IKS for further research and societal applications
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Examples of IKS
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Vedic texts: The oldest and most authoritative Hindu sacred texts, written in Sanskrit
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Tribal knowledge: Knowledge about ethno-medicinal practices, forest management, and traditional farming
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Sustainable agricultural practices: Insights from close observation of nature and the environment
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Herbal medicine: Knowledge gained from close observation of nature and the environment
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Initiatives The National Innovation Foundation (NIF), The Honey Bee Network, Online courses through Swayam, and Documentaries about Bharatiya traditions and knowledge systems.
Organization
The IKS is a division of the Ministry of Education of the Government of India. It is located in the AICTE headquarters in New Delhi.
The Distortion of Ancient Knowledge by Colonial Agents -
Max Muller is accused of distorting the Vedas in such a way that the Indians lose faith in them . Read the following -
https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/max-muller-839064-2016-12-06
"According to a letter which Muller wrote to his wife, it has been revealed that he was especially employed to translate the Vedas in such a way that the Hindus lose faith in them".
https://stophindudvesha.org/friedrich-max-muller-a-christian-missionary-disguises-as-a-scholar/
AI Models - (Grok, Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini agree on the following) -
"Müller wrote to Duke of Argyle (Secretary of State for India, 1868):
"The religion of India is doomed, and if Christianity does not step in, whose fault will it be?"
"In 1847, Müller received a £4,000 grant from the East India Company to translate and "edit" Rigved."
December 1868 letter to the Duke of Argyll contains: Müller wrote, "India must be conquered again, and that second conquest should be a conquest by education."
This reflects his belief that intellectual and cultural influence, rather than military force, should shape India’s future under British rule.
The letter is quoted in works like Arun Shourie’s Missionaries in India (1994) for its insight into Müller’s colonial perspective, despite his scholarly reputation.
In the late part of his life he admitted that "It [Rigveda] is the root of their religion, and to show them what the root is, I feel sure, is the only way of uprooting all that has sprung from it in the last three thousand years."