Manuscript writing on palm-leaves
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Manuscript writing on palm-leaves Mahendra Gunaratne LankaLibrary Forum, Sep 2006 In the ancient world manuscripts and paintings were done on a
wide variety of materials such as birch (a tree grown in northern
hemisphere)-bark, papyrus (reed-like trees grown on the banks of Nile River)
clay tablets (on which Babylonians were forced to write) and palm-leaf
manuscripts including paintings, on cloth and paper. Manufacture, preparation, writing and painting of palm-leaf
(known as Ola in Sri Lanka) manuscripts are also, particularly, an art and
science in South and South-east Asian countries including India, Sri Lanka,
Burma (Myanmar) Thailand, Indonesia, Lao and Kampuchia (Cambodia). The
manufacture, preparation, writing and painting of palm-leaf reflect
individual, territorial and cultural identity, distinct style, techniques and
patience and dedication. Before the introduction of paper, palm leaf was the main raw
material used for writing and painting for several centuries. There are large
collections of palm-leaf manuscripts in several museums and libraries in
South and South-east Asia, as well as in western countries. Hundreds of
thousands of palm leaf documents have come down to us in the form of our
ancient wisdom and heritage. It will not be out of place to mention that the
manuscripts themselves were treated as objects of worship and not only as
religious texts. In the palm-leaf there are two main parts. One, like a thick
wall on the surface of the two sides, and the other, the inner part. The
surface part is known as the epidermis. It is smooth and rather thick and
rests on the inner portion, which consists of mesophyll traversed by a
vascular system. The epidermis is securely fixed to the inner part but there
structures are different. The surface layer is smooth and is less absorbent
than the inner portion. The inner part of the leaf has thin wire-like veins
that almost intertwine with each other. This structure provides strength for
the palm-leaf. If a deteriorated palm-leaf is viewed under a
stereomicroscope, this type of structure can easily be seen. Varieties of palm-trees There are many varieties of palm trees. However the leaf of
only a few has been used for writing. The most widely used were Borassus
Flabellifer Linn (the palmyra palm), Corypha Umbraculifera Linn (talipot
palm, fan palm) and Corypha Faliera Roxb. The kind of Borassus Flabellifer Linn grows in many parts of
India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and native to tropical Africa. It needs a
comparatively dry climate. The tree attains a height of 15-20m and the trunk
is 1-2m in diameter. The leaf stalks grow up to a length of 1m. They are
fibrous and initially strong and flexible; however with time the natural
flexibility decreases. The leaves of the palmyra palm are rather thick
compound to those of the talipot palm. The palmyra palm, Borassus Flabellifer
Linn, is mostly used in writing letters and notes and not in the writing of
important books. They also appear to be more prone to insect attack than the
talipot palm are. The talipot palm or fan palm (Corypha Umbraculifera Linn) is
an erect tall tree that grows to a height of 20-25 m and has a trunk 0.5-1m
in diameter. It needs a wet climate and grows abundantly in moist coastal
areas. It is found in the forests of Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia
and South India. The leaves are soft light coloured when dry and flexible.
Practically, all books of value are transcribed on the prepared leaf of the
Talipot palm (Corypha Umbraculifera L.).Corypha is one of the largest of
palms and grows in Sri Lanka (seen at the Peradeniya Botanical Garden in
Kandy). The time for the full growth of the tree takes from forty to a
hundred years. Before the tree dies, it shoots out from its top an
inflorescence to a height of over twenty feet. Presently, the Talipot palm
(Corypha Umbraculifera L.) tree is fast disappearing due to deforestation and
urbanization. At the same time, neither commercial value is attributed to the
tree and nor an effort is taken to replant it. Today the main use of the
leaves is in making handicrafts; fans, mats, umbrellas, baskets, wicker trays
and for thatching. White umbrellas made of pieces of talipot leaves and mica
is a fine decoration used as the insignia of royalty. But lately it was used
as a symbol of prosperity. The Corypha Taliera Roxb is a strong palm tree, growing to a
height of about 10m and having a trunk less than 1m in diameter. The leaves
are slightly brown in colour with black spines. This palm grows mostly in
Bengal and some coastal areas of Tamilnadu in India. The leaves of Corypha Taliera
are thick and not very flexible. They are also prone to eaten by insects. It is difficult to say exactly when the palm leaf first began
to be used in writing. A fragment of the text of the 2nd Century AC Indian
drama had been discovered in Central Asia. However, India has no extant
palm-leaf manuscript from before the 10th Century. Today, India possesses an
extremely important and large collection of manuscripts written in Sanskrit,
Tamil, Telegu and English on all aspect of art culture and literature. Palm-leaf manuscript writing in Sri Lanka began from the 1st
Century BC, with the Fifth Buddhist Council held at Aluvihāra. For twenty consecutive centuries the palm-leaf manuscripts
diffused to every corner of the country. In the latter period, palm leaf
manuscripts were written in Pali, Sinhalese , Sanskrit ,Tamil and
English(during the British Colonial regime) on all aspects of art, culture,
language and literature.{Ayurvedic medicine, love songs, acupuncture
treatments, incantations and charms(yantras and mantras) recipes etc.} Paper was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1606 during the Dutch
period. Already Sri Lankans did not know “How to produce paper for writing”.
Captain Robert Percival, says in his work titled An account of the island of
Ceylon composed in 1803 that “They use these palm-leaves, instead, for that
purpose.” “For exchanging letters with Europeans they used the prepared
leaves in that manner” “Sometimes Sinhalese use some kind of pulp-like-matter
made of barks of the trees for writing.” In order to make them suitable for writing, palm leaves had to
be processed in a special manner. Several processing methods were used.
Processing differed from area to area. Palm-leaves are found in varying
sizes, sometimes as long as 1m. However, the width is almost always small,
not more than 8-10cm. This fact imposed a limit on the format of the
manuscript, as well as on the dimensions of the paintings. First, the tender bud should be cut from the crown of the palm
tree and it should be let down to the ground very carefully. The sub sections should be separated and the midrib of each
leaf is cut off and leaves become flexible stripes, a hole is made at the
each of the leaf strips making it easy to hang The leaf rolls are
placed in a large clay vessel to form a layer. On top of this, sliced papaw
(Carica Papaya) nuts and pineapple (Ananas) leaves are placed. Thus another
layer of leaf rolls are placed and so on alternately, till the pot is almost
full. The pot is filled with water and Keppetiya(Croton Lacciferus) leaf
branches are placed and the vessel is closed tightly with an earthen lid. A
cloth is tied to seal it. Then it is placed on three earthen bricks and
firewood from the forest is used to heat the pot. The leaves are kept loosely out of doors exposing to breeze
and in turn, sun for a day or so in order to dry well. Next, a cord is hung out in the garden like a clothesline and
the strips are placed over the cord to catch the dew in the early morning.
Care is taken to see that they do not get mildew.
The next stage is the polishing of the palm leaf strip. A long
round pole of Ruk-attana (Alstonia Scholaries) trunk is used. This is tied to
two rods and placed six feet above the ground. A stone, one pound in weight
is tied to one side of the leaf strip. Leaf strip is absorbed in water for
several minutes before polishing. The leaf strip is placed over the wooden
pole with the stone end hanging down. Next it is rubbed up and down on the
pole till the leaf strip get flattened smoothening the wrinkles. Similarly,
all the leaf strips are made so. The forming of palm leaf strips into a bundle is also a
special process. The leaf strips are punched with two holes on either side to
pass a cord according to the following old stanza. “Ayamēna caturbhāgam-Tribhāgam punarēvaca The leaves are placed one under the other pressing tightly
together through two bolts, bolted and are cut into required size putting in
a Kitul (Caryota Urens) wooden mould. The four sides of the bundle are signed
with a hot iron rod to ensure that the leaf folios are the same size and out
of the reach of moth eating. At the same time, the two punched holes are too,
burnt with a hot spike. The scribe, usually a monk or a scholar, uses a stylus for
writing. The scribe places the leaf strip on the palm of hand, as it is
easier to gauge the pressure needed for writing. The letters are written from
left to right and the scribe uses the parallel lines of the veins of the leaf
to guide him to write straight. With the left thumb, which is placed on top
of the leaf, he guides the quill along the lines. Letters are uniform and
evenly spaced. Sometimes two or more leaves were stitched together at the
edge to make a broader writing surface. The stitching was done with needle
and thread. The inking of manuscripts is a special art. The letters etched
with the stylus are colourless and therefore difficult to read. So it has to
be ‘inked’ in a special manner. For this Gaduma(Trema Orientails) charcoal
powder is used. It is mixed with Dummala (resinous) oil and Kakuna(Kakoona
Zeylanika) oil. Palm-leaves could not be bound like a normal book. The folios
are enclosed in two wooden panels made of Kolom(Adina Cordifolia), slightly
larger in size than the leaves, which are usually of hard wood, ivory, silver
embossed , lacquered or mother-of-pearl inlay work with beautiful geometrical
or floral design on them. Sometimes they are studded with precious or semi
precious stones and they are excellent works of art. For identification, a
slip of palm leaf (or sometimes of ivory or wood) carrying the title of the
work was placed over the cover of the manuscripts. The volume is bound
passing a cord through the left punched hole giving the finishing touch to
the volume and are generally wrapped in cloth to keep it free of dust. Man did not learn how to write all at once. His early attempts
were very crude. First, he used bodily expressions and words to communicate
with others. Next, he tried to say what he wanted by means of pictures,
symbols and special illustrations. These symbols and special illustrations
were cut or embossed on the facades of the rocks and on huge trees using
various instruments. Some ancient writings were conserved on clay tablets,
brass, gold, and on silver. Earlier, he made no attempt to construct separate
words; a picture was made to do the work of a whole sentence or group of
sentences. It was as if you tried to describe a football match by drawing a
series of pictures representing different incidents in it. Gradually man came
to see that it would be more convenient to put together a group of little
pictures or signs, each representing a word. For the word ‘tree’ he would
draw a little tree, for the word ‘sun’ a picture of the sun. But to write in
this way demanded a very large number of signs or pictures. The art of
writing was simplified, however, when men, instead of using a sign or picture
for each word, began to use one for each syllable, very much in the same sort
of way as when, in a picture puzzle, we draw a picture of an ox followed by a
man walking through water to represent the word ‘oxford.’ Even this method
necessitated the use of a comparatively large number of signs. The simplest
method was reached with the invention of the alphabet, in which each sign
represents a letter. Only a few of these are needed to make up all the sounds
required to construct a word or a sentence. “Samāni samapādani-Samānsāni sama
sirāhk
(I) Deterioration The palm-leaf is a
natural organic product. It is therefore very susceptible to different
agencies of deterioration. In several ways the palm-leaf behaves like a
wooden panel. Climatic factors (e.g. variations in relative humidity and
temperature), light and insects have a very marked effect on the palm leaf.
In addition, constant handling and adverse storage conditions act as forces
of deterioration. Several types of defects caused by various deterioration
factors can be seen in old palm-leaf manuscripts. The main defects are: 1)
stains, 2) discoloration 3) blackening of the surface, 4) damage by insects,
5) fungal effect, 6) splitting of the surface layer, 7) cleavage of the
surface layer, 8) fading of writing and 9) brittleness and weakening of the
leaves. Stains : Owing to faulty storage conditions, contact with
water and accumulation of dust and dirt. Discoloration : It is noticed that the palm leaves often
become brown or black. Sometimes, only a portion near the edges is so
discoloured. The main cause of this defect seems to be the oxidation of the
leafy matter. Accumulation of dirt could be another cause. Insects : Since palm-leaf is an organic material, it is easily
attacked by insects. A survey on this subject revealed that the only insect
feeding on them was Gastrallus Indicus. It is a tiny insect that eats its way
through bundles of manuscripts. Fungus :The growth of fungus on palm leaves is not very common
though it tends to occur particularly during the rainy season. Fungi appear
on the surface in greenish black colonies. The outbreak can be severe if the
leaf gets wet accidentally. Cracks in the surface : A defect often noticed in palm-leaf
manuscripts is the presense of longitudinal cracks in the surface layer. Cleavage of the surface layer : Another defect, noticed in the
palm-leaf is the cleavage of the surface from the main body of the leaf. This
happens because of the breakdown of the bond between the surface layer and
the other parts of the leaves. Brittleness : Although fresh palm-leaf is flexible, it
gradually loses its suppleness and become fragile and brittle. Sometimes it
becomes so weak that even slight bending will break the leaf into several
pieces. Some conservators attribute this defect to the loss of some essential
oil present in the leaf. However, the main reason for brittleness in the leaf
is the breakdown of the leaf structure. (II) Conservation If we follow some simple rules and take proper precautions,
the aim of preserving palm-leaf manuscripts can be easily achieved. Our
ancestors have been writing on palm-leaves for thousands of years and
palm-leaf writing skill is still alive today, though essentially for
ritualistic and artistic purposes. South Asians and Southeast Asians together
have thousands of palm-leaf manuscripts in their museums, homes monasteries
and universities. Thousands of years of Asian wisdom and knowledge are
recorded in these manuscripts. Several of these manuscripts are exquisitely
illustrated. If these manuscripts are destroyed, all these memories of human
progress will be lost forever. Therefore, it is our duty to save them from
destruction and damage. The public, the art conservators, the scholars and
policy makers have a serious responsibility of ensuring their upkeep and to
support the aforesaid institutions to look after these collections properly. The best solvent for the removal of dirt and other stains from
palm-leaf is water. If palm leaf is kept in water for short duration of 15-30
seconds, there is particularly no absorption of water. This indicates that if
the palm-leaf is wiped cleaned with swabs of distilled water without being
dipped in the liquid for a long period there is not much likelihood of
damage. In Sri Lanka dummala tel is applied to the palm-leaf. This
application is periodic and is renewed every 2 or 3 years. The oil is dark
brown in colour and is non-dying. This oil can be applied even for the
brittleness. (III) Storage Traditionally, palm-leaf manuscripts were always kept between
two wooden or sometimes metallic, boards tied together with a cord. The
boards were slightly bigger than the size of the manuscript. These boards not
only served to keep the manuscript leaves pressed but also protected their
edges from damage. For storage in museums and libraries palm-leaf manuscripts
must always be kept be between boards. If the boards have been lost at some
stage, new boards should be prepared. Some libraries use acrylic sheets as
boards. However, aesthetically they are not very appealing. Another traditional practice for storage was to wrap palm-leaf
(as well as paper) manuscripts tightly in a piece of cloth that was often
coloured red blue or yellow. This was also a very commendable practice as it
protected the manuscripts from dust and, to a greater extent, from variations
in atmospheric humidity. Some very important manuscripts were kept in
specially prepared wooden boxes. Manuscripts in museums and libraries should
also be wrapped in cloth during storage. A square piece of cloth of the
appropriate size is used. A ribbon about 1cm wide is attached to one of the
corners of the square. The manuscript is wrapped in the cloth and then
finally the ribbon is tightly bound all round the bundle to exert an even
pressure on the manuscript.
-ooOoo- Palm Leaf writing of
Ceylon K.A.T. Nikapitiya Earlier man, used symbols for expression, later these symbols
developed as letters and an alphabet and writing has been evolved. There are
enough examples of early cave paintings and writings dating back to pre
historic civilizations in Sri Lanka and worldwide. They were made by our
early ancestors at their leisure while resting after a hard days routine
hunting expedition. From sketches and writing in stone in caves, in tablets,
and inscriptions, further developed to writing on sand, clay tablets, wooden
planks, tree trunks, linen and later on metal sheets such as copper, silver
and gold. First these writings were generally the Royal decrees, orders or
proclamations of their meritorious deeds. Sri Lanka is one of the few countries in the world, which has
a written history over 2000 years old. With the arrival of Buddhism in Sri
Lanka monasteries have been evolved and soon they became famous seats of
education and they have developed interactions with other Far Eastern
countries too. During early days all instructions of Dhamma has been passed
from teacher to student orally. This has necessitated a mode of sustenance
such as writing, and one of the widely used form of writing practiced in Sri
Lanka is writing on palm leaves. The leaves of tala palm (Corypha umbraculifera), were
used for this, which is different from Tal palm (Palmyra)
abundantly found in Jaffna, Putalam areas. At first Royal decrees, messages
and grants were written on Palm leaf. The Mahavamsa mentions some
early use of Palm leaf writings such as the ascending to the throne by King
Vijaya and his handing over the Kingdom to his brother Sumittha etc. An
important event in Palm Leaf writing and using them as books is the writing
of Tripitaka at Aluvihare Temlple, Matale. Tala palm leaves are used by villagers to protect from rain as
a cover (Tala atta, made in triangular shape similar to Kulla (winnowing
fan) and supported on forehead by a strap), as a symbol of authority
by Chieftains (Avu atttha-which is held by a second person), in sesath
(ceremonial Fans) making, to shelter the roofs and in weaving of
magal (large mats), petti, etc., used mainly in agricultural
activities. The Palm leaf preparation for writing (ola) is done with a
time tested technology. For writing Tal palm sprout/bud (gobaya)
is used and it has to removed/cut before it opens up. First phase is to
identify and mark a suitable tree. Normally the owner donates the sprout as
this normally used for meritorious purposes (write Buddhist teachings etc).
Then in an auspicious time this is cut and taken in a
procession. After that the leaves are detached, and their iratu (the
mid ribs = ekel) are removed to get 2 leaves. These are loosely wrapped as
flat cylindrical rolls known as wattu. These rolls are then boiled for
2-3 hours in a large pot of water, with keppetiya, pineapple and papaw
leaves and pieces of young papaw. This removes the stain and stickiness of
the leaf. The wattu is then dried in sun for 2-3 days. Then they are
exposed to overnight dew and unrolled in the morning and allowed to dry for
3-4 hours in shade, followed by drying in sun. The process is repeated for 2-3 days to season the leaves.
Then they are suitable for long storage, and for this the leaves are rolled
again to form as 10-12" diameter cylinders and stored over a smoked fire
place/attic for future use. Next stage is to prepare the leaf for writing. For this each
leaf is tossed over a Geduma or Rukkattana (Astonia scholasis)
pole tied horizontally at a man’s height. With the upward and downward
movement of the hand holding the leaf at one end, it is rubbed against the
pole, and to its other end tied a stone as a weight. The process is continued
for about 10 min, to make the both sides of the leaf smooth and polished. After this the leaf is cut into required standard size
(according to the intended use e.g. for valuable books 2 spans (viyath)
and 4 fingers, largest is 3 spans) and cut sheets are collected as a bundle. There is a technical way to make holes as given in a Sanskrit
sloka (stanza). The top leaf is first bent into three and after unfolding
again it is bent to four. Two holes are made at the centre of the pairs of
line thus formed on the top leaf, by passing a heated iron rod through the
bundle (See figure below). Normally, after piercing first hole an areca nut
pin is driven to it to keep the bundle firm, before attempting on the second
hole. Now, two flat end boards are kept on either side of the bundle
and after pressing firmly the protrusions on all four sides are sheared with
a sharp knife. This bundle is now known as poth gediya, and each leaf
is called a path iruwa, and a set of 8 or 16 leaves numbered
alphabetically is the path kattuwa. The writing on the palm leaf is a skilled job which needs a
special training. For writing a metal stylus (about 20 ins long) known as panhinda
is used. It has five identifiable parts. The top end chatra is
flattened in a fan shape as a cutting edge. Below chatra is the
decorated section patra, and 3rd is nalaka. The
4th thumb rest is ganda and the lowest writing
end with a sharp point is (lekani). The panhinda has its own
design and usually made in steel with nice carvings and designs usually
inlaid with brass, copper or silver and occasionally in gold. The writer sits on a low stool known as dandasana. By
holding 2-3 path iru in his left hand above the knee and by keeping
the panhinda in a groove specially manicured in left hand thumb nail
to hold a panhinda and with a circular motion of the thumb the letters
are scratched on the leaf. There are 3 sizes of letters (aksara), the
spherical letters are gaja, square ones are sinha and the
smallest hansa. The sign used for full stop is kundalaya and
the sign for repetitive word is peyyalama which has 4
types according its position. The Ola writing is a slow process, and a well
trained person can write only 5-6 leaves (of 22 ins) a day. When writing is
complete it has to be blackened (kalumadinawa). This is done by
applying a mixture of ground geduma charcoal, lamp black with dummala
(resin) oil with a rag, and this will give a clarity, shine and insect
resisatance. The excess black is removed by wiping the leaves after dusting
them with kurakkan flour, and after writing the all 4 sides of poth
gediya is burnt with a heated iron to give added security to seal off
insect creeping through the leaves. Next stage is to make the two poth kammba (book ends)
or covers. Usually they are made in wood, or rarely in Ivory. These book
covers were intricately carved or painted (ivory ones are unpainted) with
traditional Sinhalese designs and motifs. It was common to have Brass,
Copper, Silver, and even Gold inlaid sheet metal jackets with similar design
and motifs and sometimes studded with semi precious stones on un-carved
wooden book ends. The Book covers also had two holes in identical positions
as in palm as in poth gediya. Now a two cords (Poth Lanuwa) each one end carrying a
retainer eye known as sakaya (metallic or semi precious stone), is
passed through the two holes, and the excess chord lengths are wrapped around
the book. There is a procedure for this wrapping too, as given in a Sanskrit
stanza. Each thread at the top end should have 10 rounds, 5 at the centre and
3 at the third points and should be done as pairs. The talipot (ola) Decrees, letters and messages are
tied in a different way. After writing they were folded neatly and franked
with the seal. Then they were tied with knots using a talipot cord.
The number of knots identifies the recipient. A single knot was added for an
enemy, 2 for a friend, 3 for relations, 4 for higher ups (lords), 5 for parents,
brothers and sisters, 6 for teachers, and 7 knots for King. -ooOoo- |