11. Description of Palaeography

Many interesting palaeographic details mentioned by Dhanapala throw ample light on the advancement in the art of writing during the tenth and eleventh centuries. 238. Dr.Raj Bali Pandey Bhas has observed that birch-bark (bhurja-pattra), si.e. the inner bark of the tree called 233. Pracina Bharata-ke Prasadhana, p.61. 234. Tilakamanjari,p.115 (19)- sitamastapakapanduritagatram ...-1 235. ibid.,p.115(20) 236. ibid.,p.425(21ff.). pandurita gotram --- | 237. ibta., p. 426 (22PE.) 238. Indian Palaeography,Chap.V,pp.66-67. sindura patala vikata kumbha bhagam ... dalita karpurakana curna rocisa candandravena praudharagagairika paragapatala vikata kumbhakaram -- 12312137542131423242528igan ---|

542 Bhurja (Baetula bhojapattr), was a very common material for writing books and long documents in ancient India, that originally it was used in north-western part of India but later on it travelled to other parts of India and to Central Asia, though in the South, on account of the abundance of palm-leaf, it could never become very popular, and that the most detailed description of its use is met with in Alberuni's 'India'. Another writing material which was very common, according to Dr, Raj Bali Pandey, was Tada-patra, i.e. palm-leaf of the borassus flahelliformis, corypha umbraculifera and C. taliera, and it was originally indigenous to South India and its use for writing gradually spread to the other parts of India; and it was very widely used 239. in the country. This is confirmed by Dhanapala who has referred to the use of both the birch-bark as well as the palm-leaf, as the writing material for messages and books. Thus, the anonymous love-letter found by Manjiraka in the Mattakokila garden at Ayodhya was written on a 240 palm-leaf which was pale-yellow in colour. A letter of Prince Harivahana addresses to Prince Kamalagupta was also 239.Indian Palaeography, pp. 68, 70. 240.Tilakamanjari,p.108. (2211.) - abhimata thiyo gavidhu sahida bhira kamini kapola- pandu tadipa tram khandam -- 1 }

241 543 written on a palm-leaf. Similarly, the message of Prince Samaraketu addressed to his beloved Malayasundari was 242 written on a palm-leaf. There is a reference also to the prevalence of engraving books in Karnnata and other scripts on palm-leaf. 243 on the other hand, the reply to 244 Harivahana by Kamalagupta was written on a birch-bark, probably because he was camping in the forest of the Lauhitya mountain. For the purpose of incising royal eulogy (prasasti) to be fitted in the wall or on the pavement of 245 a Jain temple, marble slab was utilized. Use of ink in India has been traced back to about 246 the fourth century B.C. Dhanapala informs us that the letter of Harivahana addressed to Kamalagupta was written with 'Gairika-rasa' and the nail of a finger was utilized as a pen. In another place the poet has referred to this 247. same letter as written with mineral ink. 248 'Gairika' denotes both red-chalk as well as gold; and hence we do not 249 241. Tilakamanjari, p.196 (10ff.) - anadhigata gadha pandi mni nutane tadipatra sakale ...: 349(711) kincidapandustvaci samasamma ladi tarudale - likhitva lekham 242. ibid,p.338 (9£f.) ati prthula tadipatra samcarita surekhaksara lekham-- 1 243. ibid.p. 134 (5) kharata uparnako kipurna kanniyadi lipisu pustakesu --- 1 244. ibid., p.375(9) ajarjara bhurja़ lekham ; also cf.p.234 aufz (6) where 'Bhurja-valkala' is mentioned in the description of the Vindhya forest. 245. ibid., p.219(13ff.) ... vatayanasya pascatyabhittigamrbha vinyastai stthana candrika para latvisi sphatika silapatte nikuttitam prasastim - 1; - 419(8f£.)- akhandita sasimandala sphararocisi skatikasilata le parisphutaro 59707 -atc. 246. Indian Palaeography,Chap.V,p.83. 247. (P.T.O.)

544 know for certain whether the ink referred to was prepared from gold partcles dissolved in some suitable base or from red mineral chalk. But the fact that finely powdered gold dust was applied over the the writing to en- 250. hance the beauty of the letters' indicates to the possibility of the ink being prepared from red mineral chalk; otherwise gold dust would be a superfluous duplication. Sammaraketu's message to Malayasundari was written with an ink which seems to have been soluble in water, as some of the letters in it were partly washed away due to their getting wet with water. 251 The anonymous love-letter deciphered and interpreted by Harivahana in the Mattakokila garden was written with an ink prepared from liquid musk; the borders of the letter were decorated with leaf-motif designs drawn with saffron ink; camphor powder was besmeared over the letter so that the letters would shine as if written with pearl powder; and the whole letter was further perfumed with aloe-wood incense. 252 There is a re- 253 The letters ference also to the use of collyrium as ink. 250. Tilakamanjari, p. 196 (12) - avacurnitah ksodiyasa svarna renunikarana -- 1 251. ibid.,p.339(9°° ) sa ca lekhah salilala valuladara tatha sthana- sthanesu durvi bauddha bhavartho 'pi ...1 252. ibtd.,p.109 (4££.) -- sandramrgama damasri pan kalikhitaih pratya kunkuma - patra bhanga sobhirbhih krsnaguru dhupavasa sambhrtasaura bhatirekai rabhinava maulika - ksetra visada varnena punya parimala muca karphyu ra curnena samantadavakirnaih aksa hai ? ----- snigdha janamano haram | 253. cf.ibid., p.3,vs.16b: --E I

545 of the marble Prasasti were first engraved on a slab an and then emerald solution was filled in the incided portions. Dhanapala notices the calligraphic aspect too. In his opinion it was not commendable to pack the letters 255 too closely. The letters in Samaraketu's Radakana Malayasundari, and in Harivahana's Sudskama message to message to Kamalagupta, are referred to as 'beautifully lined' 256 According to his taste or expectation, the letters, though written continuously in delicately smooth and yet mature handwriting, should be evenly separated so as not 257 to get mixed up with one another, should be evenly lined and highly legible. This held good in the case of 259 engraving of letters on marble slabs also. A few scripts (lipi) are also mentioned; thus, the Prasasti on the marble slab in the Jain temple at Mount - varna- 254. Tilakamanjari,p.219 (13ff.) sphatika silapatta ke nikuttitamati spasta varna tatha tadvino koni mitra marakaladtipuritanikhila rekharandhra mamsa labhih pascita bhiruddhasitam prasastima 255. ibid.,p.3, vs. 16 ed: nati slesa ghana slagha krtilipiriva bhute || 1|| 256. cf. ibid, p. 328 (10) surekhaksara lekhana ksare likhita - ; 349(9) - surekha - 257. cf. ibid.p.109 (6ff.) - nirantarairapi parasparasamsparsibhirayapta pari atithi gariprakarsapi kumatsarva yavaira daraih sukumara sarvadhaya vairaksa 258. cf.ibid., p. 219 (14) ati spasta varna tatha -- ca yanyakrstibhiriva sarasvatikantha manikanthi ka nukarini bhirvarna pascilabhih-- 1 259. ibid.,p.419(9) sphatikasilatale parisphurotkirna na kalipi varna- nupurvikam .. -1- samasya pranjala tatha

546 Ekasraga was in some heavenly script (naka-lipi). Dhanapala has referred to the prevalence of eighteen scripts from which the one of the above Prasasti is said to have 261_ been different. In another place he has mentioned South -262 Indian scripts like Karnnata and others. In one place the poet has also alluded to the practice of securing the folios of the palm-leaf manuscripts in the boxes made of bamboo. 263