New Delhi: The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has copied 73,732 inscriptions, of which 26,416 are in Tamil script, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed the Lok Sabha.

Responding to questions from MPs D.M. Kathir and Dr. Tamilachi Thangapandian, the Minister said that historical inscriptions discovered in the Vellore Lok Sabha constituency have been documented and published in the Annual Report on Indian Inscriptions.

He clarified that none of the copper plate inscriptions discovered by ASI in Tamil Nadu are housed in museums abroad. “All such inscriptions remain within the country,” he assured.

The Minister also said that ASI has brought out several volumes of Epigraphia Indica and South Indian Inscriptions, which serve as key reference works for historians and researchers. While the last volume of Epigraphia Indica was published in 2012, the most recent volume of South Indian Inscriptions was released in 2025, he said.

Of the 45 volumes of South Indian Inscriptions, 18 were published prior to Independence and 27 volumes have been released post-Independence, Shekhawat noted. These publications include translations, detailed notes, and analyses of inscriptions that shed light on political, social, and cultural aspects of India's history.

The Minister reiterated the government's commitment to preserving epigraphical heritage, stating that the systematic copying, cataloguing, and publishing of inscriptions is an ongoing process under ASI.