Page 2 - Jul - Sep 2021

DID YOU
KNOW?
MATERIAL MASTERY Oldest palm leaf manuscript
fragments were of
Shariputraprakarana from
Did you know that earlier, oral tradition is what was prevalent? k h li l di i i h the Kushana period,
Did
People would not write, but would pass on knowledge to next discovered in Kizil Caves
in Central Asia!
generations through stories and songs. It was later that writing was
adopted and manuscripts emerged! This was fi rst seen in 4000 BCE. Illustration by Sonakshi Illustration by R. Sridharani,
Pal, Raksha Anusandhan
Shania Yadav, Class 9 B, Bawa Lalvani Public School, Kapurthala Class 10, St. Isabels, Girls Higher
Vidyalaya, Dehradun Secondary School, Pattukkottai
PALM LEAF (Shirtala, Khartala) COPPER PLATE (Tamra Patra)

A number of religious texts were Copper Plate manuscripts were
written on palm leaves. These usually deeds and land grants.
were considered to be much more Once a deed was cancelled,
durable than paper in the humid the metal plate could easily be
weather of the subcontinent. Two reused by over-striking
trees were predominantly used it with new text! Other
for this — Shritala or Talipot palm, metals were gold, silver,
or Kharatala or palmyra palm. For brass as well as bronze, iron, stone, clay metal and tin.
several centuries it remained by far Komalpreet Kaur, Class 10 D, Army Public School, Beas; Umaimah Razvi,
the most important material in India. Class 9 F, Centre Point School, Katol Road, Nagpur; Charvitha, Class 5 B,
Gitanjali Devakul, Hyderabad
Akshita Kahsyap, Class 8, Cambridge School, Noida; Zaid, Class 9, Model
Academy, Jammu; Siddhi Sahasrabhojanee, Class 10, Centre Point School,
Katol Road, Nagpur PAPER (Kagaz)

Paper came to be used abundantly
BIRCH BARK (Bhurja Patra) from the 12th century onwards. The
Bhurja Patra (Birch Bark) is the inner bark of Betula utilis fi rst paper industry in the subcontinent
(Himalayan Birch). The oldest manuscript in this material, was set up two hundred years later in
belongs to the Gandhāran Buddhist text tradition. While Kashmir, by Sultan Zainul Abedin.
Aloe Bark (Sanchipat), from the
inner bark of the sanchi (aloe
CLOTH (Pata, Paatika)
or eaglewood) tree was used in
Assam. Cloth manuscripts mostly were
Tanvi Sharma, Class 10 B, Model illustrated with less text. This was
Academy, Jammu; Rudransh Singh, because not everyone could read,
Class 8, Raksha Anusandhan Vidyalaya,
Dehradun and such manuscripts made it easier
to communicate with them. It is
STONE (Tablets, Pillars, Rocks) very diffi cult, however, to determine
when it was fi rst used. A layer of rice or wheat pulp was
A stone inscription of 3rd century spread on the cloth, dried and polished with a smooth
BCE made by King Ashoka written
stone to increase its durability.
in Brahmi was recovered from
Mahasthan, Bogra. Remarkable ACTIVITY: MANUSCRIPT MATCH
stone inscriptions were made
by King Ashoka and also by the Match the following:
Cholas. 1 PATRA A CORD
Sanjeevni Pandita, Class 9 and Syed Arman Shah, Model Academy, Jammu 2 DORI B KNOT
3 GRANTHI C LEAVES
4 MASI D PEN
PARCHMENT (Charma Patra)
5 LEKHANI E STYLUS
This is another form of popularly used writing material. 6 LOHAKANTAKA F INK
This writing surface is made of untanned skins of animals. Shivang Dagar, Class 9, Gyan Bharti School, New Delhi ANSWER: 1-C, 2-A, 3-B, 4-F, 5-D 6-E

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