The Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) was created as a tool to protect and safeguard ancient Indian knowledge, particularly on medicinal plants and remedies.
Established in 2001 through a partnership between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, its goal is to protect traditional wisdom from unfair patents and biopiracy.
TKDL classifies this knowledge using international patent standards, making it easier for researchers to access.
India faced issues of biopiracy, such as unfair patents on turmeric, basmati rice, and neem, which prompted the library's creation.
In 2008, TKDL expanded to cover 1,500 yoga postures to prevent false claims and patents by yoga gurus.
As of 2010, TKDL had collected 34 million pages of information at a cost of Rs 7 crore.
More than 271 patent applications were withdrawn or set aside based on TKDL evidence, saving significant legal fees.
While TKDL is seen as a vital tool to protect and preserve traditional knowledge, some, like Prashant Reddy, an intellectual property scholar, argue that it might have been an unnecessary national honor project and the library's efforts could have been handled by the market.