A major part of Gilgit manuscripts--the oldest surviving Buddhist manuscripts dating back to the 6th century--is feared to have been obliterated by the recent J-K floods, almost eight decades after it they were first discovered.
The manuscripts were housed in Srinagar's historic Sri Pratap Singh (SPS) Museum which has lost almost 90 per cent of its artifacts in the deluge.
"Apart from the manuscripts, other artifacts like Kashmiri shawls, exquisite sculptures and paper mache figures have been destroyed" said Saleem Beg, former director of Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach).
He was speaking to reporters at a joint press conference organised here by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (Sahmat) which was addressed by architects, conservationists, artists and other specialists.
"We will announce a long-term initiative to help rebuild the resources of the art institutions and also to materially help community members in need of assistance," Ram Rahman of Sahmat said.
Beg said that the loss in terms of history and culture has been monumental.
"Ancient Sharada manuscripts in Sanskrit and Kashmiri (languages) have also been severely damaged in the deluge," he said.
Advocating the best conservation practices to retrieve whatever is retrievable, conservationist Joyoti Roy called for a "non-emotional" response to rescue what she called are not merely objects but "ideas and stories".
She said basic steps, included "freezing, vacuuming and reduction (removing of oxygen)" could be undertaken.
"Objects should be isolated to prevent them from sticking to each other. Wet objects can undergo irrevocable damage once put out in the sunlight so they require immediate freezing instead. They should be put in a vacuum which will prevent them from microbes," she said.
Roy proposed that the authorities should come up with a website to detail the ongoing restoration process, which according to her would at least take a couple of years.