About Us

INTRODUCTION: The Abhilekh Patal, derived from the Sanskrit word 'Abhilekh' signifying records of ancient times, and 'Patal' representing a platform or a surface, is a digital repository thoughtfully curated by the National Archives of India (NAI). This platform serves as a gateway to India's historical legacy, offering a treasure trove of meticulously preserved documents and records. Significantly, the acronym 'PATAL' is also an embodiment of its purpose 'Portal for Access to Archives & Learning'.

OUR MISSION: At its core, Abhilekh Patal is a digital initiative with a mission to provide easy access to India's historical archives, comprising of an astounding 7 million records. As part of our continuous efforts, we are converting these records into digital format to ensure their access in the modern era.

OUR PURPOSE: Abhilekh Patal's core purpose is to ensure the effortless accessibility of historical records, reaching across geographical borders to engage a diverse global community. While it naturally appeals to history enthusiasts, it equally extends a warm welcome to individuals driven by a desire for learning and exploration. Here, researchers, students, and those seeking knowledge can explore primary source materials that illuminate events, people, and societal shifts.

OUR OFFERING: The index of the 7 million records can be found under our 'Reference Tools' collection. The NAI team has been converting the content of these digitized reference tools into a structured database and have so far created the metadata entries for approximately 3 million records. NAI has digitized and uploaded 15 million pages from the 300,000 records. NAI is on a mission to digitize and bring its entire collection comprising of approximately 7 million records and 300 million pages on Abhilekh Patal.
For the convenience of our users, the NAI has introduced a niche Page on Demand (POD) Service to order pages from the Records which are completely digitized and uploaded on the portal.
Records which are present in the structured database but not yet digitized can be requested online through the Digitize on Demand (DOD) service.
To obtain a copy of the records which are present in the 'Reference Tools' by not yet in the structured database, users may contact our research room in-charge on researchroomnai1@gmail.com for further details.

Abhilekh Patal serves as your gateway to India's past, facilitating immersive learning experiences and nurturing a profound connection to the nation's vibrant heritage, serving as a bridge that spans from history to the digital age of today.