history of palm leaf manuscripts

[Guest guest]

dear friends,

I wish to know about the use of palm leaves as a

writting material. In which era it did begin? What are

the methods of preparation, materials for writting

traditional methods of preservation?

 

Dr. Murali

Reader

Department of Kayachikitsa

Govt. Ayurveda college

Tripunithura-682 301

Kerala

India

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear friend,

All these things are desribed at length in the following books.

1.Sivaganesa Murthy,R Introduction to Manuscriptology Sharada Publishing House, New Delhi

2.Kartre, S.M Textual Criticism

You may be interested to note that like several other universities , Calicut University is also offering manuscriptology as a component of their Post graduate studies.You are most welcome to come for an interaction

with warm regards,

C.Rajendran

 

 

Dr.C.Rajendran

Professor of Sanskrit University of Calicut

Calicut University P.O

Kerala 673 635 Phone: 0494-2401144

Residential address:28/1097,Rajadhani Kumaran Nair Road,

Chevayur, Calicut Kerala 673 017 Phone: 0495-2354 624

 

 

Check out the all-new Mail beta - Fire up a more powerful email and get things done faster.

[Guest guest]

Dear Mr. Raghavan,

 

 

 

The text below is from my article on the writing tradition with special

reference to Jain manuscript tradition.

 

 

 

"The leaves of both talipot (corypha umbraculifera) and palmyra (borassus

flabellifer) were used as writing surfaces. Talipot grew in the wet climate

of Ceylon and the malabar coast, whereas palmyra grew in the dry environment

of north India. Palmyra also came from east Africa. The talipot leaf is thin

and more flexible than palmyra, which is also coarser and has a narrower

blade, hence they are called shritala and kharatala respectively. At one

time talipot was in vogue throughout the country, which is why a majority of

the early manuscript were written on this leaf. From the sixteenth century

onwards, however, manuscripts were mostly written on palmyra.

 

In it's natural state the talipot leaf is arranged in a fan

like shape/ the blades were cut from the ribs (the latter are used in making

brooms) and processed in different ways. This involved the indirect slow

heating of palm leafs in a kiln or fire, causing the leaf to exude oil like

substances, which were wiped off with cloth. Turmeric water was also used on

the blades to make them suitable for writing. After processing the leaves

were sandwiched in a wooden template to cut and shape them to equal size.

 

Usually, the full length of the leaf was used for writing the

scriptures. The length of such leaves can be seen in some praching scenes

depicted in palm leaf manuscripts. Although the jain sculptor of saraswati,

dated 231 (?) from Mathura, shows the use of palm leaf in manuscript cannot

be dated earlier than the eleventh in the north India."

 

 

 

I hope this would do the needful.

 

 

 

Lalit Kumar

 

31, Satyam Bungalows, Sarkari Vasahat Road, B/H Gurukul, Vastrapur,

Ahmedabad. 380054

 

 

 

You may visit for the citation of the article.

 

www.recoworartindia.com <http://www.recoworartindia.com/>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_____

 

INDOLOGY [iNDOLOGY] On Behalf

Of murali raghavan

Friday, January 12, 2007 5:37 AM

indology

[Y-Indology] history of palm leaf manuscripts

 

 

 

dear friends,

I wish to know about the use of palm leaves as a

writting material. In which era it did begin? What are

the methods of preparation, materials for writting

traditional methods of preservation?

 

Dr. Murali

Reader

Department of Kayachikitsa

Govt. Ayurveda college

Tripunithura-682 301

Kerala

India

 

________

Want to start your own business?

Learn how on Small Business.

http://smallbusines <http://smallbusiness./r-index>

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