February 2006, the National Mission for 1

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“One of our major misfortunes is that we have lost so much of the world’s ancient literature

– in Greece, in India and elsewhere... Probably an organized search for old manuscripts in

the libraries of religious institutions, monasteries and private persons would yield rich

results. That, and the critical examination of these manuscripts and, where considered

desirable, their publication and translation, are among the many things we have to do in

India when we succeed in breaking through our shackles and can function for ourselves.

Such a study is bound to throw light on many phases of Indian history and especially on the

social background behind historic events and changing ideas.”

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, The Discovery of India

Editor: Neha Paliwal Design: Alpana Khare Graphic Design

fgUnh laiknd % izHkkr dqekj nkl Cover image: Folios from Narayaneeyam by Narayana Bhatta, preserved at Assistant Editor : Mrinmoy Chakraborty Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library, Kariavattom, Publisher’s details: Mission Director Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala National Mission for Manuscripts No. 5, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road Print: Azure Press Services New Delhi 110 001 Tel: +91 11 23383894 National Mission for Manuscripts is an Email: [email protected] undertaking of the Ministry of Culture, Website: www.namami.nic.in Government of India. final newsletter feb 2006.qxd 18/3/06 2:08 PM Page 1

From the Editor Contents

On 7th February 2006, the National Mission for 1. Manuscripts and Traditional 2 Manuscripts celebrated its third anniversary as Knowledge Systems well as the commencement of many programs V. R. Panchamukhi during its third year, the lessons learnt and experiences gained from them. 2. Origin of Brahmi Script: 7 On this occasion, therefore, we wish to thank A Continuing Debate all of you who have shown us encouragement Kiran Kumar Thaplyal and helped us to make our work more effective and efficient. We could not have accomplished 3. Institution in Focus: 9 what we have without the constant support that Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s you have provided us. Sarasvati Mahal Library In this issue of Kriti Rakshana, the authors P. Perumal have addressed a variety of issues in as many fashions - stimulating concern regarding the 4. Thanjavur Library as a Realm 13 study of Indian manuscripts; providing of Knowledge suggestions for the preservation of paper Dominik Wujastyk manuscripts; uncovering a truly remarkable storehouse of knowledge, the Thanjavur 5. xhrxksfoUn dh laLd`fr 16 Maharaja Serfoji’s Sarasvati Mahal Library; Dilip Kumar Rana attempting to understand the origins of Brahmi, the earliest deciphered script used in India, 6. Preventive Conservation of 19 among others. Paper Manuscripts Once again, let us say that since we wish the K. K. Gupta publication to be read as widely as possible, we are mailing it, free of cost, to as many academic 7. Travelogue - Majuli: 22 institutions, manuscript repositories and public Where Manuscripts are Worshipped organizations as possible. If you know of any Anurag Arora such institution that we should mail Kriti Rakshana to, but are not currently doing so, 8. Report of Seminar on ‘Manuscripts 24 please let us know. and Indian Knowledge Systems’ If you have any queries or comments on any Sudha Gopalakrishnan article or would like to tell us what you think about Kriti Rakshana, do let us know at Others [email protected], or at Publications Division, NMM, No. 5, Rajendra Prasad Road, Quiz 6 New Delhi – 110001. Kriti Rakshana is also available online and may be downloaded from Summary of Events 26 www.namami.nic.in. Forthcoming Events 28 iti Rakshana

Neha Paliwal Kr

National Mission for Manuscripts 1 final newsletter 2

Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd typology ofknowledgesystems hastobeuseful alongside moderncategories. Further, the jyotisha siksha, kalpa,nirukta,vyakarana,chandas traditional categoriesofdisciplines,suchas, constituents ofknowledgesystems.However, the international conference formthedifferent folklore andartthatwillbecovered inthis science andtechnology, medicinalknowledge, history andculture, philosophyandreligion, Disciplines suchaslanguageandliterature, need tobespeltoutclearlyattheoutset. F attended to: following dimensionsofresearch mustalsobe the knowledgethatiscontainedinthem.The of manuscriptsisnotsufficientforunderstanding dimensions. However, cataloguingandmapping source materialsfor‘knowledge’aboutdiverse constitute oneofthemostimportantbasic It isuniversallyacceptedthatmanuscripts 11 February, 2006. for ManuscriptsandMadrasUniversityfrom9to conference wasjointlyorganisedbyNationalMission Indian KnowledgeSystems’heldinChennai.The international conferenceon‘Manuscriptsand delivered byV. Panchamukhi, R. atthe This isanexcerptfromtheinauguraladdress, V Knowledge Systems Manuscripts andTraditional or this,theconstituentsofknowledgesystems

18/3/06 .R. Panchamukhi (c) Thecriticalanalysisofkey textsof (b) The creation ofwhatiscalleda (a) The systematicsurveyofworksinboth different disciplines different disciplines printed andmanuscriptformpertainingto and institutionalpoliticalaffiliations) (educational lineages,patronage linkages aspects oftheirsocialexistence linkages amongintellectualsandthe provide themeansforreconstructing the prosopographical database whichwill need tobereassessed

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Page 2 and of great shameanddisgracetotheIndian r manuscripts ofgreat intellectualvalue are still scholars andalsothefactthatalarge numberof manuscripts hadbeentaken awaybyforeign seriously. Thefactthatalarge numberof publishing manuscriptswillhavetobepursued the knowledgesystemsandediting averting thisprospect inthefuture. decay process andworkoutwaysmeansof be usefulifweidentifytheindicatorsofthis usefulness tocontemporaryproblems. Itwould ancient knowledgesystemandtodemonstrateits have donelittletore-establish thegloryofour century asthestartingpointofthisdecline. have identifiedthebeginningofeleventh eighteenth century. Meanwhile,otherhistorians of thecolonialerainmiddle Sanskrit knowledgesystemssincethebeginning there hasbeenadeclinein the gloryof were madebyintellectualstalwarts.However, vyakarana, diverse fieldssuchasliterature, period thatmanyseminalcontributionsto of Sanskritknowledgesystems.Itisduringthis 1750 wasagoldenperiodforthedevelopment pre-colonial periodtwohundred yearspriorto millennium. Itisalsooftenobservedthatthe system hashaditsupsanddownsoverthepast why andwhenthegloryofSanskritknowledge and culture haveoftenraisedthequestionasto contemporary life. in order to make themrelevant forproblems of Indian knowledgesystemsindifferent categories could beconsidered fordocumentingancient law, administration,governanceandenvironment economics, psychology, physics,botany, biology, the disciplinessuchassociology, politicalscience, in thecontextofcontemporarylife.For example, emaining uneditedandunpublished are matters The tasksofsurveymanuscripts,analyzing Scholars studyingthehistoryofcivilization Unfortunately, evenafterindependencewe mathematics andphysicalsciences National Mission forManuscripts nyaya, mimamsa, final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts new knowledgethathavechanged thecourseof knowledge astheirultimategoal) (Oh, Partha, allactivities haveacquisitionof ‘Sarvam karmakhilamparthajnaneparisamapyate’ world) (There isnothingassacred asknowledge inthis ‘Na hijnanenasadrisampavitramihavidyate’ immemorial. Bhagavadgitapronounces: behaviour ofmanhasbeenrecognized from time primacy of‘knowledge’ininfluencingthe into therealm The of‘aknowledgesociety’. mankind hashadtheopportunityofstepping r advantages from theemerging knowledge knowledge societywithaviewtoreap adequately tobecomepartnersintheglobal of thesocietyshouldequipthemselves ‘knowledge’ anditisalsoargued thatallsections twenty firstcenturyconstituteaneweraof of thetwentiethcenturyandearlypart We Knowledge Society-Isitanewconcept? activities. r needs tobefurtherstrengthened intermsof purpose, theNationalMissionforManuscripts manuscripts ofseminalintellectualvalue.For this later, tothetasksofeditingandpublishing activities shouldbeextended,soonerratherthan preservation ofmanuscripts.Thescopeour beyond theinitialexercise ofsurveyanddigital preservation ofknowledgesystemsshouldgo unpublished! have beenlosttousifithadremained economics, moralscienceanddiplomacywould knowledge systeminthefieldofpoliticalscience, Mysore. What awonderfulstore-house of available withtheOrientalResearch Institutein basis ofasinglecopythemanuscript,then illustrious scholar, Pandit ShyamaShastri,onthe only ahundred yearsago, (in1902A.D.)bythe fourth centuryBC,waseditedandpublished K intellectual community. We are allaware that evolutions. Butthisisnotthefirsttimewhen esources andextendedtothe nextphaseof autilya’s In thepastthere havebeenmanyepochsof

My pointisthatourapproach tothetaskof often hearinrecent timesthatthelatterpart feb Arthasastra 2006.qxd , whichbelongstoabout

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Page 3 distinction betweeninformation, knowledge,and There isasubtlebutextremely important Information, Knowledge andWisdom are evolvingatpresent. challenges ofthenewknowledgesocietiesthat for capacity-buildingrequired tofacethe knowledge heritageisanessentialpre-requisite necessary toasserthere thatprideinour of knowledgerevolutions inIndia.Itisalso been crucialinunderstandingtheturningpoints to recognize thatthereservoir ofmanuscripts has brought aboutfrom timetotime.Itisimportant knowledge revolutions thattheIndiangeniushas considered inthisperspectiveofahistory many epochsofknowledgerevolutions. astronomy. Inlaterperiods,too, there havebeen contributions tothefieldsofmathematicsand the thirteenthcenturyADmadetheirpioneering of thesixthcenturyADandBhaskaracharya Aryabhatta ofthefifthcenturyAD,Varahamihira Similarly, there were knowledgerevolutions when treatise onstatecraftandeconomicmanagement. knowledge revolution whenKautilya wrote a of atomictheory. There wasanepochof the material world.ColeBookpronounced thatitis concept ofatom( gandhavati prithivi chemical properties ofdifferent objects(suchas abhava guna, karma,samanya,visesha,samavaya categories withseveralsub-categories( classifying thephysicalworldintoseven contributions tothefieldofphysicalsciencesby moment whenKanada madepioneering A centurylaterthere wasyetanotherdefining phonetics andgrammarinseventhcenturyBC. theory andpracticeinthefieldsoflinguistics, r occurred in thepast.There wasaknowledge admire the knowledgerevolutions thathave human capabilitiesifwedonotrecognize and making agrievouserror inourassessmentof significant changesfrom timetotime.We willbe notion ofknowledge’havealsoundergone to recognize thatthescopeandcontentof‘the the frameworkof‘humanwelfare’. Itisimportant civilizations andcultures, andhavedetermined evolution whenPanini introduced afundamental Thus, therecent ITrevolution shouldbe Bharatadesha ) byexplicitlymentioningthephysicaland that wasthepioneerinfield Anu ) andalsobyintroducing the ) intheanalysisof dravya, and

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Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd treatise onhumanpsychologyandbehaviour – and buddhi.WhileBhagavadgita –agreat nature oftheinterfacebetweenindriyas, manas promotion ofhumanwelfare dependsuponthe distinguishing rightfrom wrong. Therefore, the buddhi thatprovides theflowofreasoning for information intoknowledge.However, itis manas andbuddhi,whichtogetherconvert of theworldgeneratesinformation.Itis wisdom. Thecontactofindriyaswiththeobjects basic sources forinformation,knowledgeand the indriyas,manas,andbuddhiconstitute r will beabletodistinguishrightfrom wrong and becomes free from perverseobsessionsthatyou r lot ofknowledgetoo. Butyourpowerof (Oh. Arjuna,youhavealotofinformationand T Y to Arjuna: It isworthwhiletorecall whatKrishnapreached cause ofhumanwelfare. that wisdomemploysknowledgetoservethe information intoknowledge,butalsotoensure is ourresponsibility notonlytoconvert the role ofwisdombecomesimportant.Thus,it the needsofcontemporarysociety. Itishere that be abletoaligninformationandknowledgewith mechanisms foritsdestruction.Oneshouldalso for thepromotion ofhumanwelfare andnot information andknowledgebecomeinstruments between rightandwrong, toensure that equipped withthecapabilitytodistinguish human welfare. Anindividualshouldbe knowledge are conducivetothepromotion of into knowledge.Again,notalltypesof information holderstoconvertthis appropriately strong infrastructure systemsfor But unfortunately, weare failingtobuild opportunities foraccumulationofinformation. has substantiallyexpandedthescopeand special skillsandcapabilities.TheITrevolution information intoknowledgeweneedsome itself, maybepurposeless.Inorder toconvert purposeful attributethaninformationwhich,by wisdom. Knowledgeisarelatively more ecognize yourprimeduty) easoning hasbeenpolluted.Itisonlywhenthat ada gantasinirvedamsrotavyasyasrutasyacha. ada temohakalilambuddhirvyatitarishyati,

18/3/06 In thetraditionalIndianknowledgesystem,

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Page 4 distinction betweenjnanaand knowledge systemisasubtlebutimportant Another uniquefeature oftheIndiantraditional the Knower andtheAttributesof Jnana, Vijnana contemporary societalchallenges. this aspectoftheknowledgesystemtoface do alotmore todemonstratetherelevance of promoting thewelfare ofmankind,weneedto provides a cogenttheoryandpracticefor around us. Theterm and generalknowledgeaboutthematerialworld In commonterms, liberating oneselffrom thebondageofthisworld. combination ofthesetwothatwouldhelpin Bhagavadgita pronounces thatitisthe knowledge system. brings inthespiritualdimensionofour ‘ in thephysicalworldaround us.Sincetheprefix its existenceandtransformationsthattake place physical andchemicalproperties, thegenesisof knowledge ofthematerialworldintermsits enough topossess Bhagavadgita spellsoutthethesisthatitisnot in strengthening eventhisholisticapproach. asubhat. Jnanam vijnanasahitamyajnatwamokshyase Bhagavadgita says: distorted influencesuponus. liberating ourselvesfrom thebondageof world willremain partialandhenceuselessin paramatman, ourknowledgeofthematerial by theinfluenceofsupreme authoritycalled the attributesofmaterialworldare governed around us.Unlessweunderstandthefactthat spiritual dimensionsofthematerialworld imply holisticknowledgeaboutthephysicaland also expectedtocare forthewelfare ofthe should focusonhisdutiesand notrights.Heis also desired thatatrulyknowledgeable person possessiveness andcontrol onsenseorgans. Itis follows: absenceofselfishness,crazeand useful instrument.Theseattributesare as attributes ifhedesires tomake knowledgea essential thattheknowerhavesomespecial vi ’ refers toparamatman,theword The traditionalknowledgesystemgoesfurther National Mission forManuscripts jnana jnana Jnana vijnana and r and efers toinformation r vijnana efers toadeeper vijnana vijnana vijnana . Itis . together also final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts understanding the as aprofound textofphilosophyusefulin the traditionalparlance,Bhagavadgitaisregarded knowledge basecontainedinBhagavadgita.In ancient knowledgesystem.Take forinstance,the point byreferring tosomespecificpartsofour contemporary world.Iwouldonlyillustratethis we shoulddemonstrateitsrelevance tothe acceptability ofourancientknowledgesystem, F System Contextualizing AncientKnowledge and welfare. emphasized asthepre-requisites forhappiness aspect, andtheattributesofknower, are system namely, thephysicalaspect,spiritual stated earlier, three dimensionsoftheknowledge process ofacquiringknowledgeisrecognized. As such aperfectlyintegratedapproach tothe happiness.) able toservethecauseofhumanwelfare and gold andearthequally. Onlythen,hewouldbe organs, beingequanimous and consideringboth r should becomea knowledge andevenspiritualknowledge,one (Even thoughoneissaturatedwithmaterial Y Jnanavijnana triptatmakootasthovijitendriyah. Bhagavadgita says: biases”. from the bondageofmentalprejudices and education whichenablesyoutofree yourself ya vimuktaye Upanishadic statementrunsasfollows:“ pettiness andnarrow dispositions.The to free his mindfrom thebondagesofprejudices, the ultimatepurposeofacquiringknowledgeis benefits. Heshouldbeconsciousofthefactthat society evenatthecostofsacrificinghispersonal management, usefulinthemodern world.It behaviour andasasource bookfortechniquesof r of itsrelevance tooureverydaylife,itcouldbe content ofBhagavadgitafrom thepointofview ultimate Mukti.However, ifweanalyzethe equired attributes,suchas,control oversense egarded asafundamentaltreatise ofhuman ukta ityuchyateyogisamaloshtashmakanchanah. urthermore, inorder toenhancerespect forand It isonlyintheIndianknowledgesystemthat feb ”, whichmeans,“thataloneis 2006.qxd yogi sadhana marga (

yukta 18/3/06 ), byacquiringthe

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Page Sa vidya 5 much more decentralizedthanwhat ishappening and documentationofmanuscripts shouldbe effective andenduring.The exercise ofsurvey National MissionforManuscriptshithertomore suggestions formakingourexercise onthe L Editing, PublicationandDissemination system. modalities forthepreservation ofourknowledge that contextualizationisoneoftheveryeffective study oftheknowledgesystemstokeep inmind National MissionforManuscriptsandalsointhe would urge alltheresearchers bothinthe use theminthecontemporarysituations.I Bhagavadgita andPuranas,whenweare ableto system, suchas,Vedas, Upanishads, to thesource materialsofourancientknowledge not beapologeticwheneverwemake references the challengesofmodernworld.We need applicability ofourancientknowledgesystemto courage inthetaskofdemonstrating need formusteringnewfaith,confidenceand of jurisprudence. that cannotberesolved bythemodernprinciples system forresolving manycomplexsituations effectively usedinourcontemporaryjudicial Mimamsa successes andfailures). courage andenthusiasmequanimitybetween appropriating credit foroneself,possessionof attributes: freedom from obsession,never (A Sidhysidhyoh nirvikarahkartasatwikauchyate. Muktasango anahamvadidhrityutsahasamanvitah. here: Satwika Karta to beefficientinallrespects. Thedescriptionofa necessary andsufficientconditionsforamanager management ofoneselfandpresents the sets outthetheoryandpracticeforoptimum of efficientmanagementhumanresources. It Kshetra), andputsforward aholisticparadigm spiritualism, (DharmaKshetraandKuru framework –asablendofmaterialismand begins byconceivingmaninaholistic et meinthisfinalsectionpresent, someofmy I ammakingthesepointstoemphasizethe Similarly, itmaybenotedthattheancient satwika karta R ules ofInterpretation couldbe given inBhagavadgitaisrelevant is onewhohasthefollowing

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Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd universities andvidyapeethasforediting teachers andresearchers inthedifferent of thenextfivetotenyears. of manuscriptswouldbepublishedinthecourse If thisstepistaken, wecanhopethatthousands getting theirfinaldegrees forallthesestudents. manuscript shouldbemademandatoryfor press copy andpublicationofatleastone parts ofthecountry. Editing,preparation of departments andinstitutionsinthedifferent Phil. andPh.D.studentsinmanySanskrit more institutions. has tobemore widelycanvassedbyinvolving the messageofsharingresponsibility programme hasbeenputinplace.But,maybe aware that somedecentralizationofthework the exercise ofsurveyandcataloguing.Iam institutions needtobeactivelyparticipatingin individual scholars.Allthesemicro level Universities, Sanskritdepartments,and P today. We haveinourmidstalarge numberof athasalas, Gurukulas,Mutts, Quiz .InwhichstateofIndiawas 2. Whatisthestudyofancienthandwritingandscriptscalled? 1. .Whatdoes theword ‘ 9. Hewrote 8. Namethescriptfrom whichtheDevanagariscriptevolved. 7. TheNewCatalogusCatalogorum(NCC)isoneofthemostimportantcatalogueingprojects 6. InwhichscriptwasthemedievalMarathiroyal documentswritten? 5. Whoistheauthorof 4. InwhichlanguagewastheoldJainaliterature mostlywritten? 3. 0 Whoistheauthorof 10.

18/3/06 There shouldbespecialincentivestothe There are alarge numberof Post-graduate, M. the mostfamousgrammarianofIndiaandregarded asthefatherofclassicalSanskrit.Who is he? of manuscriptsinIndia.Nametheinstitutionthathas started thisproject. preparing inkprevalent?

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Page 6 V and gaveauthenticgrammaticalrulestoliterarySanskrit language.Heis Lilavati Soundarya Lahari eda and alsoDeemed ’ mean? L ? asoluwa , thetraditionalpracticeof ? V. r are required topropagate thegreatness and public atlarge. Suchmultidisciplinaryinitiatives in simplereadable styleforthebenefitof level. There shouldalsobesomegeneralbooks school level,collegeandtheuniversity exercise shouldbeconductedforeducationatthe contemporary worldisbrought out.Suchan r materials shouldbesodesignedthatthe for thecontemporaryworld.Syllabiandreading knowledge systemsinthedifferent disciplines, preparing detailsofcontextualizationthe this purpose. allocation offundswouldbecomenecessaryfor in theirlibraries.Ofcourse,somespecial all theholdingsofmanuscriptsthattheypossess be givenspecialfundsforeditingandpublishing publishing themanuscripts.Institutionsshould Vi elevance ofourancientknowledgesystem. elevance oftheknowledgesystemsto

dyapeetha, (DeemedUniversity),Tirupati R. Special research teamsshouldbesetupfor

P anchamukhi isChancellor, RashtriyaSanskrit National Mission forManuscripts Answers onpage21 Gupta Period,Gurukul, Brahmi scriptinsealof Jhajjhar final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts Semetic, SouthPhoenician, Aramaic who believeithasforeign originsand North of unanimityopinioneven amongstscholars indigenous origins.Interestingly, there isalack be offoreign origin,othersbelieveithas Brahmi script.Whilesomescholarsconsideritto amongst scholarsregarding theoriginof There isconsiderabledifference ofopinion Origin oftheScript Brahmi records. excavated cavesandstoneslabstobetheearliest inscriptions recorded onrocks, stonepillars, famine. ManyscholarsconsidertheAsokan materials aspreventive measures tocounterthe houses thatwere meanttostore grainsandallied copper plateinscriptionare related tostore Mahasthan StoneinscriptionandtheSahagaura dated twocenturiesbefore Asoka.Boththe the Sahagauracopperplateinscription,maybe Buddha, theMahasthanStoneinscriptionand r such asthePiprahwa Relic Casket inscription also bestatedthatafewinscriptionsonstone, last longinthetropical climateofIndia.Itmay material wasusedforwriting,andthisdidnot third centuryBCmaybebecauseperishable the endofHarappancivilizationand availability ofinscriptionsfortheperiodmarking more centuries.Itisalsoargued thatthenon- continuation ofHarappanwritingforsome some Harappansigns,mayindicatethe pottery ofthepost-Harappanperiod,resembling countered bycertaingraffitimarksonthe writing waslost,althoughthispointmaybe the urbanHarappancivilization,artof to light.There isaviewthatwiththedeclineof the third centuryBC,noinscriptionshavecome the Harappancivilization,circa 1500BC,until the Harappanperiod.However, from theendof The traditionofwritinginIndiagoesbackto Period ofEmergence Kiran Kumar Thaplyal A ContinuingDebate Origin ofBrahmiScript: ecording theconsecrationofrelics of feb 2006.qxd

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Page 7 committing ittowriting. could nothavebeenpreserved without at leasttheBrahmiliterature whichisinprose before theBuddha.Ithasbeenpointedoutthat V believe thatwritingexistedevenduringthe displays inAsokantime.There are scholarswho centuries forthescripttoattainformit scholars believethatitshouldhavetaken two centuries earlierthanthistheorysuggests.Some writing waspracticedatleastacoupleof Chandragupta Mauryawouldindicatethat in theaccountsofGreek historiansinthetimeof Astadhyayi in earlyBuddhistscriptures, thesutras,Panini’s indeed ingenuous.Butthereferences towriting neighbouring kingdoms. subjects asalsopeopleresiding inthe the materialandmoralupliftmentofhisown out byhimandthemeasures taken byhimfor his policies,theworksofpublicwelfare carried was keen thatpeopleshould beacquaintedwith period wasinventedonAsoka’sinitiative.Asoka is oftheopinionthatBrahmiAsokan value, thetheoryremains tentative.S.R.Goyal absence ofourknowledgeabouttheirphonetic script resemble thoseofBrahmi,yetinthe Harappan script.Thoughcertainlettersofthat are oftheviewthatitwasderivedfrom the Brahmi evolvedfrom pictographs.Somescholars convincing. Cunninghamhadsuggestedthat changing thedirection ofwritingisnotfully script butmadedefinitivechangesinitincluding right toleft.TheviewthatIndiansborrowed the right, whiletheSemeticscriptsare writtenfrom as theoriginal.Brahmiiswrittenfrom leftto of Brahmidonothavethesamephoneticvalue some cases,eventhoselettersthatresemble those r different scholars.Certainlettersofthesescripts and Greek havebeensuggestedvariouslyby esemble Brahmilettersbutmanydiffer, andin edic age,whichistobedatedseveralcenturies The suggestionmadebyS.R.Goyalis etc. andreferences towritingonIndia

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Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd es f‘ito ’andheknewthat themost sense of‘gift it turnedout,thatthetwolettersconveyed two lettersattheirend.Heguessed,correctly as that practicallyalltheinscriptionshadsame railings oftheGreat StupaatSanchi,henoticed the numerous shortinscriptionsonpillarsand accomplished thistaskin1837.Whileexamining may begiventoJamesPrincep who do so. Finally, thecredit ofdeciphering Brahmi time thoughseveralscholarsmadeattemptsto could notbedeciphered foralongperiodof saw incourseofhisstay. TheAsokanscript could read theAsokanpillarinscriptionsthathe 400 to410AD,couldnotfindanyonewho Chinese pilgrimwhostayedinIndiabetween period hadchangedsomuchthatFa-hsien, the form oflettersfrom theMauryantoGupta so onandforth.Itmaybestatedthatthe Ku K (second tofirstcenturyBC),from Surigato Mauryan (third tosecondcenturyBC)Suriga evolved gradually, changingitsformfrom r There isnodoubtthatBrahmiscriptatthe Deciphering theScript oot ofallthescriptsnorthernIndia.It

ushana (firsttosecondcenturyAD),from 18/3/06 shana toGupta(300-550AD)periodand

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Page 8 languages is common word foritinSanskritandPrakrit consonants; ithasconjointlettersanddoesnot needed. Inthisscript,matrasare attachedtothe P although thiswasprobably thecasebecausein r letters intheDevanagariscriptthatare not Oriya. Itmaybenotedthatthere are some r evolved from Brahmi,asalsomanymodern P The Devanagariscript,inwhichSanskrit, Significance ofBrahmi letters couldbeascertained. Greek and Brahmi,thecompletekey forBrahmi Indo-Greek rulersgivingtheirnameandtitlesin be. and notatthetopofletterasitlatercameto was addedtotheletteronrightofitstop form oftheletternaand(4)thatanusvara stroke torightatthetopofletter, (3)the added totheletterinformofahorizontal the formofletterda,(2)thata-matrawas epresented intheAsokanBrahmiscript, egional scriptssuchasGujarati,Banglaand ali languageofAsokanperiodtheywere not rakrit, HindiandMarathiare written,has Then withthehelpofbiscriptualcoins danam National Mission forManuscripts . Thushecametoknow: (1) University Archaeology, Lucknow Head, A.I.H.and a Former Professorand Kiran KumarThaplyalis history. the reconstruction of utmost importancefor of thisscriptis Brahmi theknowledge scripts derivedfrom Brahmi scriptorin epigraphs are writtenin history andsincethe important source of epigraphs are themost countries. Ancient south-east Asian also beenfoundinsome Brahmi inscriptionshave single sentence. separate words withina final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts preserved inthehousesof The literarytreasures ofancientIndiawere of India.Inadditiontothis, andoverthe that are trulyreflective ofthehistoryandculture This libraryhasarichcollection ofmanuscripts Manuscript Collection activities. Government ofIndiaforitsdevelopmental of Tamil Naduforitsmaintenance andfrom the The libraryreceives fundsfrom theGovernment Nadu functionsasthechairmanofsociety. Education MinisteroftheGovernmentTamil director ofthelibrary. TheHonourable scholars, memberfrom theroyal familyandthe Central andStategovernments,nominated society consistsofex-officiomembersboth T library wasregistered asasocietyunderthe Serfoji’s SarasvatiMahalLibrary. In1986,the library hasbeencalledtheThanjavurMaharaja family madeitapubliclibrary. Sincethenthe palace property. In1918,however, theroyal last Marathaqueen,thelibrarywaspartof Thanjavur (1676-1855).Untilthereign ofthe under thepatronage oftheMarathakings library intoamonumentalinstitutiontookplace Thanjavur (1535-1676),thedevelopmentof the Royal Palace LibrarybytheNayakaKingsof literature. and paintingsonallaspectsofarts,culture and valuable collectionofmanuscripts,books,maps Thanjavur. Thislibraryembodiesveryrare and dynasties oftheNayakasandMarathas of knowledge,itwasbuiltupbythesuccessive present. An almostinexhaustibletreasure house few medievallibrariesthatstillfunctionat Library atThanjavur, Tamil Nadu,amongstthe Thanjavur MaharajaSerfoji’sSarasvatiMahal art andletters.Onesuchcollectionisthe mutts andpalacesofkingswhowere patrons of P. Sarasvati MahalLibrary Thanjavur MaharajaSerfoji’s Institution inFocus amil NaduRegistered SocietiesAct, 1975.The Although itwasconceivedandchristenedas

P erumal feb 2006.qxd

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Page 9 narrates storiesfrom Ramayana andBhagavatam. the storyofKrishna.Hisother work,Kathatrayi same stanzafrom right toleft,wecomeacross ourselves reading Ramayana andreading the R the poetusesseveralrare techniquesofwriting. Chidamabara Kavi. InShabdarthaChintamani, Shabdartha Chinatamani mastery ofthelanguageandgrammarare texts inthissectionwhichshowthescholar’s houses respectively, mayalsobefoundhere. Two V Kalpam, Prakaranas. Sakaladhikaram Saraswati andalarge numberofshort V her patron KingRaghunatha Nayak,worksof poetess Ramabhadramba’s biographical poemon titled Bhasha, aplaywrittenbyKingKrishnadevaraya grammar ofarare dialectcalled Bhandira most valuableonesare rare lexicons,the special mention.Amongstthese,someofthe Sanskrit works,uniquetothislibrary, deservea and Telugu scripts.Someoftheoutstanding written inGrantha,Devanagari,Nandinagari hundred, are inSanskrit.Thesemanuscriptsare numbering thirtyninethousandandthree A majorityofthemanuscriptsinlibrary, Sanskrit Manuscripts Linguistic CompositionoftheLibrary and dealwithawiderangeofsubjects. written inSanskrit,Tamil, MarathiandTelugu available bothonpalmleafandpaper. Theseare and around Thanjavur. Themanuscriptsare maintained by possession ofmanuscriptcollectionsformerly passage oftime,thelibraryhasalsogained T Dikshita), R attva Chintamanivyakhya iswakarmiyavastu Sastra enkadamakin andSadasivaBrahmentra eading thestanzafrom lefttoright,wefind angaraja (fatherofthegreat Appayya Jambavatiparinaya a workontemplearchitecture and Krishnacharita pandits and theirpatrons livingin , on constructionof and the V of by Dharmarajadhvrin, ivarnadarpana Agastyapandita and V Kathatrayi imanarchana Advaita- by , of

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Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd works bythepoetsofThanjavurare uniqueto lexicon, medicine,scienceandseveralothers.The subjects like philosophy, literature, drama,music, exceed three thousandandtheyare onvaried mutts. ThetotalnumberofMarathimanuscripts saint poetsoftheRamadasi andthe Dattatreya Thanjavur, thesemanuscriptsare theworksof Collected duringthereign oftheMarathasin may alsobefound.Marathimanuscripts. written intheTelugu scriptandonpalmleaf largely inpaperform,althoughafewofthem, The Marathimanuscriptsinthiscollectionare Marathi Manuscripts owners, copyists,dateofcopyingetal. biographical andotherinformationrelated to manuscripts carryveryinteresting historical, in theCauverydelta.Thepostscriptsofseveral great shrines andsacred villagesandtownsfound accounts ofthesanctityandlegendsattachedto manuscripts on architecture etc.SarasvatiMahallibraryalsohas on musicanddance,ayurvedamedicine, This libraryhasalarge numberofmanuscripts Entrance oftheSarasvatiMahalLibrary, Thanjavur

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Page 10 , thepuranic history oftheMarathasThanjavur the onlyindigenoussource materialsonthe three hundred andfortytwobundles. Theseare paper, these havebeenpreserved inonethousand script andinMarathilanguage.Written on petitions whichwere writtensolelyinModi day diaries:letters,orders, dailyaccountsand Maratha kingsofThanjavurmaintaineddayto works. sringara rasa to havebeenaprolific composerof during Shahaji’sreign (1684-1712)whoseems r Hussain, aMuslimpoet.Severalmanuscripts commentary ontheBhagavadGitabyAmbar Dasabodham byBhakthaRamadas anda Sarasvati MahalLibraryalsohasamanuscriptof Mouni are someofthenoteworthyworks. R V Ramasohala Madhava Swami, by this library. Ramayana andMahabharata elated tomusic,danceanddramawere written ilasa aghava SwamiandBhagvatGitabyAnanta The Library’s collectionalsoshowsthatthe The Library’s by MukundaSwami, by MeruSwami, , bothofwhichare philosophical National Mission forManuscripts A vadhuta GitaTika Aatmabodha Sri Ramakrupa patham and by and final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts books inEnglish,French, LatinandItalianfrom collected nearlyfourthousand fivehundred was startedin1820A.D.by KingSerfojiIIwho printed books.Thebookcollectionofthislibrary Along withmanuscripts,thelibraryalsohasrare Reference Books Andhrabhagavatam manuscript ofthislibraryisthe V Rathalakshnam ShivanubhavaSutram Makudagamah, Karanagamah,Vijayaratnam - the possessionoflibraryare belonging toeleventhcentury, andcurrently in Some oftheoldestmanuscripts,perhaps Rare Manuscripts this regard. Sarabhendra BhoopalaKuravanchi r manuscripts, writtenastheywere duringthe scholars, are amongsttheoldestTamil Sivakolundu Sivarahasyam style. Themedicalmanuscripts,like Kottaiyur Chola periodare writteninthe form. Someoftherare worksbelongingtothe sciences. Allthemanuscriptsare inpalmleaf thousand whichonliterature andmedical The Tamil manuscriptsectionhasmore thanfour Nitisastram Andhra Mahabharatam Prabhulinga Leela the rare Telugu worksinthiscollectionare other dramaswrittenonpalmleaves.Someof language andisavailablehere alongwithmany collection ofdramas,wasfirstwritteninTelugu of Telugu literature. The particularly thoserelated tothesouthernschool extremely valuablecollectionsofmanuscripts, V T in thissection.TheworksofNannaiya, Y P manuscripts andfortyfourpapermanuscripts. has onethousandandfortythree palmleaf The Telugu ManuscriptsectionoftheLibrary T T eign ofSerfojiI; athulottara Tantra adya Kavyas akshaganas elugu Manuscripts ikkanna, Bodanna,Krishnadevaraya, ijayaraghava Nayakare alsoavailable.Theseare amil Manuscripts feb . are some ofthemanuscriptsfound , 2006.qxd Dvipada Kavyas Kumbakona-p-puranam by Piduparti Somanna, . Theearliestdatedpalmleaf by Pottanna inTelugu.

18/3/06 and Bhagavatamela , writtenbyTamil Kamandaka , Satakas

2:08 manipravala Phalavati, are notablein PM and the ,

Page , a and 11 P. Phone no.: 04362-234-107 Thanjavur -613009,Tamil Nadu Library Thanjavur MaharajaSerfoji’sSarasvatiMahal The contactdetailsoftheLibraryare asfollows: will startshortly. in thecollectionispipelineandwork digitization ofallthemanuscriptsandrare books four hundred andseventythree books.The manuscripts. Sofar, thelibraryhaspublished disseminate knowledgecontainedinthe unpublished manuscriptsintheformofbooksto to scholars.Thislibrarypublishesrare and preservation, publication,cataloguingandservice The mainfunctionsofthislibraryare Circadian Functions calligraphy aswell. term letter inthisworkismadeupofthemicroscopic manuscript is manuscripts ofmicrographic writings.Onesuch miniature manuscripts,miniature paintingsand and drawings. twenty rare atlasescomprisingfivehundred maps costumes, paintings, botanicalspecimenmilitary such as thousand foliosofillustratedpaperpaintings paintings onwood,canvas,glassandaboutfive possesses beautifullydecoratedThanjavurstyle Besides booksandmanuscripts,thislibrary Other Collections other Indianlanguages. English, Sanskrit,Telugu, Marathi,Hindiand They are indifferent languages,namelyTamil, books availableforresearch scholarsandreaders. foreign countries. There are sixtyfivethousand Center attheLibrary. Coordinator forNMM’sManuscript Resource Sarasvati MahalLibrary. HeisalsotheProject (In-charge) atThanjavurMaharajaSerfoji’s

P The libraryalsohasarichcollectionof erumal isaConservatorandLibrarian ‘shiva shiva’ Gaja Sastra,Aswa Chitra Ramayana Shivaprapancharatna . Itfeaturesis anexcellent etc. Thislibraryhas mythological stotram. Each

11 Kriti Rakshana final newsletter 12

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in this library werelargely collectedbyhim in thislibrary Library. TheoldbooksinEuropeanlanguages knowledge ledhimtoenrichSarasvatiMahal Serfoji’s andthirstfor loveoflearning ofthatera. European counterparts as stunninganachievementthoseofhis wasperhaps early asintheeighteenthcentury method thatheadvocatedandpracticedas removal ofthecataractbycouching healsopractisedsurgery.Furthermore, The among otherthings,diseasesoftheeye. Sarabendra Vaidya Muraiga and theresultwasascholarlytreatise document allthehealthdisordersoftime in thestate.Herequestedsomescholarsto A systems ofmedicineSiddha,Unaniand the researchandpracticeofalternate Mahal, amedicalresearchcentrededicatedto II,theDhanvanthari During thereignofSerfoji a greatseatoflearning. culture, andasaresultThanjavuremerged devoted hislifetothepursuitofliteratureand unparalleledscale.He activities onahitherto promote social,culturalandeducational through these,heembarkedonaprojectto temples andchoultriesinthekingdom itself .However, hecontinuedtomanageallthe his powerandtookoverThanjavurin1799 AD 1798althoughtheBritishdeprivedhimof IIascendedthethroneofThanjavurin Serfoji became ascholarinhisownright. of Rev. C.F. andincourseoftime Schwartz School inMadrasunderthedirectsupervision Bhosale family. HestudiedatSt.George’s T a treasure-houseofknowledge. as development oftheSarasvatiMahalLibrary contribution ofthescholarlykingwas widespread rangeofinterests.Amonumental Thanjavur, IIwhohada MaharajaSerfoji In IndiaonesuchmanwastheMarathakingof Kautilya alsohadmoreorlessasimilarnotion. as wellaselflessandpiouspatriot. philosopher kingshouldbeamanoflearning The GreekphilosopherPlatomaintainedthata 18/3/06 Profile: KingSerfojiII As a child, Serfoji wasadoptedbyKing As achild,Serfoji ulajaji, although he was born intheroyal ulajaji, althoughhewasborn yurveda, becamethenucleusofmedicalcare yurveda,

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Page 12 that dealtwith, rest ofus. standard forhiscontemporariesaswellthe IIclearlyseta life,Serfoji living anexemplary is,asalsoin SarasvatiMahalLibrary Serfoji In leavingussuchanenrichinglegacyasthe after him. inIndiaisnamed the oldestexistinglibrary that own hand.ItisafittingtributetoSerfoji some ofthemalsofeaturemarginaliainhis recordingtheyearsofacquisitionand Serfoji each bookonemaynotetheautographof subjects includingmusicalnotations.Inalmost and Danish.Thesebooksdealwithmany five hundredbooksinEnglish,French,Italian collection, thereweremorethanfourthousand andotherfar-flungareas.Inhis the north in the renownedcentersofSanskritlearning buy andcopyavastnumberofworksfromall Benares, heemployedmanypunditstocollect, manuscripts forthislibrary. Whenhevisited wide tocollectalargenumberofbooksand and forthesehesentmanypunditsfar King Serfoji II King Serfoji National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts Manuscripts collectionatSaraswati MahalLibrary, Thanjavur R founded almostonethousandyearsagobyKing magnificent templesinIndia.Thetemplewas T two great culturalmonuments.Thefirstisthe A visitortotheIndiancityofThanjavurfinds Dominik Wujastyk of Knowledge Thanjavur LibraryasaRealm emple ofBrihadisvara,onethemost ajrajesvara oftheCholadynasty(985-1016). feb 2006.qxd

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Page 13 r river delta. development ofmanytemplesintheKaveri devoted substantialresources totherepair and Like hisfatherhealsopatronized learningand A cultural renewal anddevelopment.Sevappa’sson embarked onanambitiousprogramme of advisor. KingSevappaandGovindaDikshita learned Brahmin,GovindaDiksita,aspriestand throne, Sevappaengagedtheservicesofa rule, orperhaps afterhisretirement from the Brahmin communities.Inthelatteryearsofhis upkeep oftemplesandhis gift oftax-free landto re peaceful andprosperous reign. Heis Thanjavur in1532hadalong,predominantly 1580) whofoundedtheNayakadynastyin great Library. KingSevappaNayaka(1532- manuscripts thatwouldformthenucleusof Sanskrit learning,andwhobegantocollectthe successors, theNayakas,whoencouraged centre. Itwasthekingsandministersoftheir moulded Thanjavurintoareligious andcultural initiated thebuildingofgreat Temple, and It wasthekingsofCholadynastywho Culture Local Literary composed playsbeperformed. devotional musiccouldbesung,ornewly the libraryasaperformancespaceinwhichnew r Brihadisvara temple-primarily, ofcourse,a surrounded andsupportedthisactivity. The for theintellectualandsocialworldthat south Indianscholarsandartists,asafocus music andpaintingsofmanygenerations has functionedasarepository fortheliterature, library isfourhundred andfiftyyearsold, Maharaja Serfoji’sSarasvatiMahalLibrary. The The secondisalibrary, calledTheThanjavur egent quiteearlyinhisreign. Theyoung prince eligious space-functionedincooperationwith chyutappa beganhisruleofThanjavurin1580. membered forhisgenerosity, hisbuildingand A chyutappa appointedhisson Raghunatha as

13 Kriti Rakshana final newsletter 14

Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd Thanjavur, butthe sameeventswere toopenan events wasabouttodestroy theNayakas of was enteringitslastyears.A disastrous seriesof under Vijayaraghava Nayaka.Butthedynasty cultural formationcontinueduntilthe1670s the startofseventeenthcentury, andthis productivity, wasestablishedinThanjavurfrom scholars, andalibrarytosupporttheir of thegreat Thanjavurlibrarycanbefound. Thanjavur courtinthisperiod,theearliestseeds of scholarsthatgrew uparound himandthe patronage ofSanskritculture, andinthenetwork and successors.InGovindaDikshita’sdirect biographical worksofhisson,contemporaries r patron emerges powerfullyintheinscriptional writing survives,hisreputation asascholarand years. AlthoughlittleofGovindaDikshita’sown the traditionofscholarshipforhundreds of Govinda’s descendantsappeartohavecontinued on ritual,trigonometryandmusic. high scholastictheoryinliturgical hermeneutics and poetics.Thelatterwrote aseriesofworks king Raghunatha, aswellaworkon rhetoric biographical memoirsofthecourt,focusingon leading scholars.Theformerwrote two Y around 1600AD.Two ofhissons, intellectual configurationofThanjavurdistrict entire Kaveri deltawasmostpowerful. south Indiancourtandontheculture ofthe intellectual andorganizational influenceonthe 1634. Duringthislongperiod,Govinda’s of Thanjavurlastedapproximately from 1575to patron of scholarship. was himselfacreative writerandmusician earlier NayakarulersofThanjavur, Raghunatha academics tohiscourt.More thananyofthe and prizestoscholars,attractedlearned fine musician.Thekingalsogavebenefactions both SanskritandTelugu, andtohavebeena said tohavewrittenplays,poemsanddramasin scholarly disciplinesandthemartialarts.Heis others, andshowedgreat promise intheSanskrit was educatedbyGovindaDikshitaamong his remarkable academicaptitude.Raghunatha was afavouriteatthecourtandcelebratedfor ecord andinstrayreferences inthescholarlyand ajnanarayana andVenkatesvara, were themselves

18/3/06 A vibrantnetworkofSankritandTelugu Govinda Dikshitawasapivotalfigure inthe Govinda Dikshita’sassociationwiththecourt

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Page 14 r the period.Through hiseducation,he wasin Dikshita whowasapivotal intellectual figure of T Thanjavur library. manuscripts ofallthisworkare housedinthe and ethics,dramamedicine.The including linguistics,theology, philosophy, law literature onallaspectsoftheartsandsciences, scholars ofthiscollegewouldproduce afloodof of familyandorigin.Intheyearstocome, academic workbutinmanycases,through ties community, networked notonlythrough their their base.Buttheyformedasingleintellectual the villageitself,whileothersmadeThanjavur descendants. Someofthesescholarssettledin to agroup offortysixscholarsandtheir village tobedonatedtax-free andinperpetuity K village ofTiruvisainallur, onthebankofriver Sahaji foundedanacademiccommunityinthe The FoundationofaNewCollege medicine, astrology andmusic. several interesting andoriginaltreatises on king Tulaji, Sahaji’syoungestbrother, wrote works tothelibrarycollections.For example, dynasty alsocontributedmanyoftheirscholarly subsequent rulersoftheThanjavurMaratha than twentyfiveworksinTelugu. The himself wasaprolific author, composingnoless manuscripts totheThanjavurlibrary. KingSahaji of scholarshipdelivered anewcacheof encouraged byhismotherDipamba,anewsurge centre. Through kingSahaji’spatronage, modest royal collectionintoamajorcultural son, whotransformedthepalacelibraryfrom a Thanjavur wasundertheruleofEkoji’s eldest court. migrate toThanjavurparticipateinthenew scholars from alloversouthIndiabeganto Dance, musicandpaintingflourished, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu andMarathaculture. Thanjavur onceagainbecameavibrantcentre of influential andcultured wifeDipamba, entirely new setofculturalopportunities. In orjustbefore 1693,insouth India,king eceipt ofscholarlyinfluences from some ofthe iruvisainallur wasthegreat Ramabhadra averi. Hearrangedforhomesandlandinthe One ofthefirstscholarstoarrivein Under theMarathakingEkoji andhis By theendofseventeenthcentury, when National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts accession evermadetothelibrary. from Varanasi. Thiswasthelargest single long listofthemanuscriptsthatSerfojibrought acquisitions stillsurvive.Thelibrarycontainsa trans-regional library. Records ofmanyhis courtly manuscriptcollectionintoacolossal Sarasvati MahalLibraryfrom arelatively small r in English. but inMarathi,Tamil, andtosomeextenteven pursuits, whichwere conductednotinSanskrit authoritative sources forhisownintellectual studied andcollectedthesematerialsas were similar tothoseofamodernhistorian:he T least halfadozenspecialistseachinSanskritand Marathi scholarsandpoetsinhiscourt,at in Thanjavur, hegathered overtwenty-five library. Presiding overagreat cultural flowering quite different from theearlierhistoryof importance. Thisdevelopmentwasofacharacter who projected thelibrarytoanewlevelof Sreedharavenkatesa. Chokkanatha Dikshita,NeelakanthaDikshitaand scholars. Somenamesworthmentioningare passed onthelearningtoalarge numberoflater students andhisownwritings,heamplified greatest teachers oftheage.Through his Folio from manuscript preserved atSaraswatiMahalLibrary,Folio frommanuscriptpreserved Thanjavur esponsible forthetransformationof elugu. Serfoji’sinterests inSanskritliterature Serfoji collectedmanuscriptsactivelyandwas But itwaskingSerfojiII(reign 1798-1833) feb 2006.qxd

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Page 15 by ChristianJacob(Paris: MichelAlbin,2006) LieuxdeSavoir_,edited Communaut’es_vol.1 of_Les translation inthebook_Lieuxet "A fullerversionofthispaperwillappearinFrench Indian subcontinent. villages, from southIndiaand from thewhole scholars from Thanjavur, thesurrounding manuscripts thatpreserve thethoughtsof its great library, filledwiththousandsofquiet r to thepresent day. At thepoliticalheartof traceable inthetwentiethcenturyandsomeeven K complex networksofhighknowledgeinthe pupils andpatrons havecreated incredibly multiple intersectinglinesoffamily, teachers, Through approximately twentygenerations,the Reflections from the familiesofnotedscholars. has adoptedapolicyofreceiving collections in Sanskrit.Inthetwentiethcentury, thelibrary thousand, ofwhichthirtyseventhousandwere Sarasvati MahalLibraryhadrisentofortyfour eighties, thetotalnumberofmanuscriptsin imported from England.Bythenineteen continued toaddmanuscriptsandprintedbooks (reign 1832-1855), thelastkingofThanjavur, egion standsthetemplecityofThanjavur, with averi delta.Inmanycasestheselinesare still F ollowing Serfoji’sdeath,hissonKingShivaji

15 Kriti Rakshana final newsletter 16

Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd th dsvuqtmn;ukpk;Z dkek.kZonso mRdy dsxaxoa'khbfrgkllsKkrgksrkgSfd Cat. ofSkt.Mss.OrissaStateMuseum,vol.II) Catalogorum, Uni.ofMadras,Vol. andDes. ds 'kkludky 'kkludky esa^xhrxksfoUn*dhjpukgqbZFkhAjk?konso (1166–1170) (3/10) mfpr gSA;|fimudkle;vkSjtUeLFkkudsUnqfoYo djus lsigysdfot;nsodkle;fuèkkZj.kdjuk vè;;u lEHkogSAxhrxksfoUndklkaLd`frd vkSj yfyrinkoyhdsvkHkkllsghbldklkaLd`frd izk;% dfBu&lkgkstkrkgSAfQjHkhdkO;dhjpuk ls lkaLd`frdvkSjlkekftdthoudkvè;;udjuk iM+rk gSAblfy,xhrxksfoUnrFkkbldsvuqd`frdkO;ksa Jhen~Hkkxor rFkkczãoSorZiqjk.kdkNkiLi"Vfn[kkbZ oS".ko if.MrFksAvr%xhrxksfoUndkO;esa vfHku;kRed dkO;&dyklsifjiw.kZgSAdfot;nso HkfDrHkko;qDr] laxhr]dyk]'k`axkjrÙorFkk fojfpr lqyfyrxhfrdkO;^xhrxksfoUn*oS".koèkekZfJr bfrgkl rFkkiqjk.kksadsÅijvkèkkfjrgSAif.Mrt;nso gksrk gSAHkkjrh;laLd`froSfndlkfgR;]èkeZ]n'kZu] thou vkfnds}kjklkaLd`frdfl)kUrksadkvkfoHkkZo lkekftd ifjfLFkfr]nk'kZfudizo`fÙk;k¡]rFkkèkk£ed thou'kSyh dkghKkugksrkgSAizkd`frdifjfLFkfr] ^laLd`fr* 'kCnlsekuodsO;fDrRodkfodkl;kmldh miØe& fnyhi dqekjjk.kk xhrxksfoUn dhlaLd`fr ( ds 'kksHkus'ojeafnjrFkkHkqous'oj dses?ks'ojeafnj mM+h'kk dsjktoa'kh;jktkjktnso}kjkfu£erfu;kfy jpuk dhFkh dfo t;nsous^iqjh*dsfuokldkyesaxhrxksfoUndh ls vuqekuyxk;ktkldrkgSAijeoS".kotxUukFkHkDr ugha gS(rFkkfif'kykys[kvkSjizkekf.kdxzaFkksadsvkèkkj vuh;nso jkT; esa'kklufd;kFkkAmldscknxaxoa'kdk dsoy mn;iqjesamiyCèkgSA igyh Vhdk^HkkofoHkkfouh*fy[khFkh]tksfdvHkh lu~

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Page 17 ;g under theGangeasofOrissa,P115) ^ûhyfupksyeP;qr dudfud"k#fp'kqfpolusu** jkèkk;k%** esa vyadkjksadko.kZu^^rjyoy;kofydfyrLouoa'ks** djrs FksAtSls^îhrolueuqxhr** Fkh ,slkLi"VgksrkgSAiq#"kèkksrh;kjs'kehoL=èkkj.k ^^'khy; uhyfupksye~** Hkh lktlTtkdjrsFksAxhrxksfoanesao£.kroL=ksa bR;kfn lsyxrkgSfdmlle;fL=;ksadhrjgiq#"k d`".k dsd.BesadkseyiÙkksagkjdklq'kksfHkrgksuk dqoy;nyJs.kh d.Bsulkxjy|qfr%AA** o£.krµ ^^âfnfo"kyrkgkjksuk;aHkqtxuk;d%A rRdkyhu lektesamudkiz;ksxgksrkFkkAr`rh;lxZ izlkèkuksa dkiz;ksxfd;kgS]mllsizrhrgksrkgSfd xhrxksfoan esat;nsousftuvyadkjksa]os'kHkw"kkvksarFkk vyadkj] os'kHkw"kkvkSjizlkèku (1/41) ^îhui;ksèkjHkkjHkjs.k &&&dkfpnqnafpriapejkxe~AA** lkewfgdu`R; vkfndkvknjFkkAfQj Li"V gksrkgSfdlektesayksdu`R;vkSjxhrrFkk vkSj daxuksadsrkylkFkukpukvkfnAbulcls lf[kvksa dslkFkukpuk]fQjd`".kdjrkyèofu ij dks;ydsxqatulkFk&lkFkxhrxkuk]urZfd;ksadk (7–7) (1–45) djrs FksA^^fopd"kZdjs.knqdwys** Li"V gSAvFkkZr~L=hvkSjiq#"klkM+hèkksrhèkkj.k vkfn lsd`".kdk'kq)rFkkihroL=èkkj.kdjukHkh (11–11) mPpLrj ijFkk dfyax esamlle;gLrrUrq;koL=o;udkm|ksx fdruk Fkk]bllsvuqekufd;ktkldrkgSA fd;k gSAvr%rRdkyhulektesalaxhrdkvknj fu%lkj] ;fr],drkyh]v"Vrkyhvkfnrkyksadkiz;ksx ekyoxkSM] HkSjoh]foHkklvkfnjkxksadkrFkk:id] olUr] jkedsjh]xq.kdsjh]d.kkZV&ns'kk[;]ns'kojkgh] gksrk gSAvU;Pp]t;nsousxhrxksfoUnesaekyo]xqtZjh] ^^pyoy;DofirS%** uVuh;e~** laxhr dslkFku`R;Kkuj[krhFkhaAiqu'p^^;fneulk FkkA t;nsoLo;alaxhrKFksgh]lkFkesamudhiRuhHkh xhr xkuslsyxrkgSfdlkewfgdxku;kdhrZugksrk MkW iq#"k vkSjfL=;k¡mHk;js'kehoL=ifjèkkudjrsFksA lwph vkfn'kCnksalsizrhrgksjgkgSfdµlkèkkj.kr% O;oâr dkaphnke]nqdwy]oluHkj.kkfu]dudfud"k#fp] fd yM+fd;k¡nqiV~VkHkh/kkj.kdjrhFkhaAxhrxksfoUnesa . jRufxfj jkousHkhblckrdhiqf"VgS]fd ] ^êjdroy;aeèkqdjfup;ap** A fojghtuksads}kjk,dckniapejkxesa ] ^^vggdy;kfeoy;kfnef.kHkw"k.ke~** (7–14) vkfn lsjkèkkuhyjaxdhlkM+hèkkj.kdjrh (4–8) (Cultural Advancement ofOrissa ] ^^èokUruhyfupksypk#%** ls lektesavfHku;dkizpyuKkr (11–5) (5–11) ] ] ^^laohrihrka'kqda (1–44) (2–7) ] (7–25) (3–11) ls yxrkgS A xhrxksfoan (7–36) ] A

17 Kriti Rakshana final newsletter 18

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] ^^dq#oddqlqeapiyklq"kea** Page (6–4) (11–22) (7–1) (8–10) 18 ] ^ûoHkon'kkdny& ] (12–4) (11–12) ] vkfn lsirkpyrkgS (10–14) (8–5) jkèkkd`".k ds ] (11/30) ] ] gksxhA os'kHkw"kk vkfndkfuekZ.k&rduhdmPpLrjijjgh vUrrks xRok;gdgldrsgSafdmlle;vyadkj] fy, vfèkdrjizkd`frdlalk/kuksadkO;ogkjgksrkFkkA oLrqvksa dkiz;ksxvfèkdgksrkgS]mlle;izlkèkuds l¡okjrs FksAvUrjdsoybrukgSfdvcjklk;fud rjg mlle;L=hvkSjiq#"kviusvkidksltkrs o£.kr ik=ksa izFkk ls fpf=rfd;kx;kgSAbldsvykoklektesansonklh p.Mh] dkfeuh]lkèoh]HkfxuhdqyVkvkfn'kCnfo'ks"kksa Hkkfeuh] dykorh]nwrh]voyk]ukf;dk]urZdh]ekfuuh] ;qorh&lHkk] r#.kh&tu]rUoh]furfEcuh]je.kh] tSls &jkèkkdksxksioèkw]oztlqUnjh]vkHkhjukjh]yyuk] Fkh\ viusdfri;'kCnksalsn'kkZusdkiz;Rufd;kgSA LFkku D;kFkk\rFkkukjhfdlizdkjlektesavkn`r xhrxksfoan esat;nsousrRdkyhulektukfjvksadk lekt] ukjhvkSjiq#"k (11–34) èkkj.k djrhFkhaA;Fkkµ^^Lo;aflanwjs.kf}ij.keqnk** O;ogkj fd;ktkrkFkkAfL=;k¡lheUrizns'kesaflUnwj NwV tkukLi"VdjrkgSfdmlle;gksBksaijizlkèku feyu dscknjkèkkvèkjls'kksf.kekvFkkZr~jfDrek fe'ku fnyhi dqekjjk.kk]mifuns'kd] jk"Vªh;ik.Mqfyfi ds ik=ksa gfjoa'k rFkkiqjk.kksadhyksdfiz;rkFkhA;gckrjkek;.k dk vkfèkD;gksusdslkFk&lkFkjkek;.k]Hkkxor] ^^Øhrnkl boksilsfor** D;ksafd ,dkn'klxZesad`".kdsekè;elst;nsous dks deewY;esa[kjhndjetnwjhdkdkedjokrsFksA lekt esaØhrnklizFkkdkizpyujgkgksxk]ftlesayksxksa Hkkjrh; lektlaLdkjiw.kZrFkklkSgknZiw.kZFkkAmlle; mnkgj.k ls;gckrLi"VgkstkrhgSfdrRdkyhu µ^îzR;qn~xPNfr] lsforinkEHkkst]lEHkk"k.ke~vkfn vfrfFkvksa dklRdkjân;lsfd;ktkrkFkk];Fkk Kkr gksrkgSfdlektesalaHkk"k.k'kkyhurkFkhA jkèkk] d`".krFkkmudhnwrhvkfndsijLijlaoknksals iYyof;rqe~] lkSUn;Z'kqf)afxjke~*vkfn'kCnksalsrFkk eèkqje`nqrjopu] onrqeèkqja]pkVqopu]okpk o£.kr ê`nqopu]fLeropu]eèkqjopu] ls Li"VgkstkrhgSAn'kkorkjo.kZuxhrxkfoUnesa ls çfrHkkflrgksjgkgSA bl çdkjxhrxksfoUnesalaiw.kZlektdk>ydLi"V:i ijUrq vU;bfrgkldkjksausmldko.kZuughafd;kgSA ( fooqèk;kSou ( A vr%;gLi"VgksjgkgSfdvktdydh tud] jke]n'kjFk][kjnw"k.k ( Jhd`".k] ufUn]dsf'k]dalvkfn ) dk izpyuFkkAlektesaoS".koèkeZ National Mission forManuscripts (11–22) dk o.kZufd;kgSA ) ] Hkkxoresa ) ds o.kZu final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts taken, thegraphicrecords ofourhistoricaland degradation withtime.Unlessproper care is Like allothermaterials,paperisalsosubjectto and manyworksofartare connectedtopaper. Books, manuscripts,photographs,documents, cloth, woodetc.were alsousedforwriting. agaru-bark, bricks,earthenware, shell,ivory, palm-leaves andcopperplates.Besidesthese, writing materialsinourcountrywere birch-bark, about athousandyears.Before that,themain origin. Paper hasbeenusedinIndiaonlyfor The Hindiword kagaj(paper)isofPersian paper-reed plantonceverycommoninEgypt. isfrom theGreek‘paper’ word papyrus,thetall paper isaChineseinventionandtheword writing. ButitsoriginwasnotinIndia.Modern thinking. scripts, languagesaswellpeople’smodeof culture ofmankind,butalsoinfluencedthe helped notonlyinpreserving thehistoryand r W Singh ManuscriptLibrary, Patiala atProf.Pritam Providing thehealingtouchtomanuscripts: manuscriptconservation K.K. Gupta P Pr ole inthedevelopmentofcultures. Theyhave riting materialshaveplayedaveryprominent Most ofourhistoryisrecorded onpaper. T oday paperisthemainmaterialusedfor aper Manuscripts eventive Conservationof feb 2006.qxd

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Page 19 for deteriorationofpaperare: more importantamongthefactorsresponsible environment towhichpaperisexposed.The be changed.Theexternalfactorsincludethe used forpreparing thepaper, whichcanhardly internal factorsare basedontherawmaterials r V Deterioration ofManuscripts insects, andpeople. damage causedbyenvironmental conditions, it isproperly madebutitishighlysusceptibleto very nature fragile.Paper canlastforcenturiesif faces andthepossibleremedies. Paper, isbyits help youunderstandthechallengesthatpaper already occurred. Thisinformationisoffered to potential problem untilsevere damagehas Unfortunately, mostpeopledon’t recognize a and thereby thehistoryrecorded onit. empoloyed toensure thepreservation ofpaper describe preventive andrestorative methods future. Paper conservationisatermusedto artistic heritagedonotsurvivefarintothe esponsible forthedeteriorationofpaper. The arious internalandexternalfactorsare or becomewavy. can causethepapertocurl any extreme fluctuations and humidity. Therefore, changes intemperature expands andcontractswith sheet. Paper naturally thereby weakening the sizing andpaperfibers, foxing. Moldaffectsthe growth ofmoldand temperatures, isthe combined withhigh humidity, especiallywhen danger ofexcessive Humidity: Te mperature and The chief

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Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd display orstoragearea isbetweentwenty and The recommended optimumtemperature for a and biologicalreactions canbeslowed down. By loweringambienttemperature, mostchemical Control ofTemperature andHumidity external factorsofdeteriorationmanuscripts. conservation canbesaidtothecontrol of controlled tosomeextent.Preventive which includenaturalfactors,however, canbe has tobearwiththem.Theexternalfactors writing itself,canhardly bechangedandsoone which are inherently present inthepaintingor of manuscripts.Internalfactorsdeterioration, factors ofdeteriorationresponsible forthedecay known as‘Preventive conservation’ than treatment. Thisprevention ofdamageis re of theconservators,mostdamagescannotbe a collectioningoodcondition.Despitetheskills Pr Preventive Conservation irreversible stainsandare verydifficulttoremove. sensitive tapesorglues.Theseadhesivescause P display methods.Poor handlingcausestears. is causedbyimproper handling,storageand Handling andStorage: woodworms actuallyconsumethepaper. sizing andpaint;termites,crickets and brown specks;cockroaches andsilverfisheatthe These pests,includinghouseflies,leavepermanent Insects: disintegration ofthepaperfibres. discoloration, brittlenessandeventual converted intosulfuricacid.Thisacidcauses Sulpur dioxideisabsorbedbythepaperand produced bythecombustionoffossilfuels. in theatmosphere issulphurdioxide,agas Air Pollution: by acidscausingdiscolorationor‘acidburn’. of ink.Italsospeedsupthedeteriorationpaper for paper. Itwouldfadeallartmediumsandtypes florescent lightingcanalsocausesevere problems Light: eople oftenattempttorepair tearswithpressure

versed andso, prevention ismore preferable 18/3/06 evention isalwaysthebestwayofmaintaining Pr eventive conservationisthecontrol of The ultravioletraysinsunlightand Many insectsare attractedtopaper.

2:08 PM The mostharmfulcontaminant

Page 20 Severe damagetopaper to killalltheinsectsandfungi. Care shouldbe done byexposingtheseareas tocertain biocides storage areas ofthemanuscripts.This canbe is, therefore, importanttoeradicatethesefrom a significantrole inthedecayofmanuscripts.It Biological factorslike insectsandfungialsoplay Control ofBiologicalGrowth measures shouldbetaken simultaneously. Since nosuchmethodisfoolproof, allpossible treating incomingairtofilteroutallpollutants. r preventing pollutionfrom reaching manuscript r means oftransportation.Thiseffortcanbe control devicesinfactories,powerhouses and using sulphur-free fuelandinstallingpollution- be controlled bytakingsuitablemeasures like with increasing industrialization.Pollution can major role inthedegradation ofpaper, more so At Control ofPollution exposed tolightunnecessarily. needs tobecontrolled. Theseare, therefore, not duration ofvisiblelightfallingonpaperalso completely harmlesstothem.Theintensityand damaging topaintings,visiblelightisnot source anduseoffiltersetc. can bedonebyajudiciousselectionoflight manuscript tolightshouldbeminimized.This from itsintensitythetimeofexposure ofthe deteriorating effectoflightiscumulative,apart case ofpapermanuscripts.Also, sincethe and fiftymicrowatt perLumen respectively, in of lightanditsultravioletproportion are fiftylux evil. Therecommended upperlimitofintensity manuscript; andmaybeconsidered anecessary deterioration, isessentialforreading a Light, eventhoughitisapotentfactorof Control ofLight deterioration. dimensional strainonpaper, leadingtoits too lowasboththeseconditionsmayresult in in thearea alsoshouldneitherbetoohighnor should notbeallowed.Relative humidity(RH) limits, sharpfluctuationsinthetemperature twenty fivedegree centigrade.Evenwithinthese epositories suchasdevelopinggreen beltsand einforced bysupplementarymeasures for mospheric pollutionhasalsobeenplayinga While ultravioletradiationsare particularly National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts different materials,shouldnotbefrozen. objects, thosemadefrom acombination of however, isnotyetcomplete.Very fragile collection. Theresearch tobackthis contention, area anddoesnotappeartodamagethe thus posesnohazard tothestaffworkingin attractive becauseitinvolvesnochemicaland be quiteeffectiveforeradicatinginsects.Thisis explored. Controlled freezing hasbeenfoundto exterminating insectshaverecently been A varietyofnon-chemicalprocesses for Non-Chemical Treatments emphasis onnon-chemicalpest-control methods. insecticides hasbrought aboutincreased awareness oftherisksinusingchemical to causehealthproblems yearslater. Growing of exposure, butmaybeabsorbedintothebody chemicals maynothaveanyilleffectatthetime chemicals are toxictohumanbeingsalso. Many for theinsects,asintended. suitable dosesoftheseare usedsothatitislethal eradication ofinsects,itisimportanttonotethat poison). Inusingtheseinsecticidesforthe some lethalgasseslike ethyleneoxide(respiratory and thepetroleum products (contactpoison)and fluorine (stomachpoison),sulphurcompounds insecticides are compoundsofarsenicand rather thankillingtheinsects.Chemicalsusedas are meanttodiscouragetheirentryandstay, chloro-benzene, naphthalene,camphoretc.They smell. Commonlyusedrepellants are para-di- them are usedasrepellants becauseoftheir eradicate insectsfrom thecollections.Someof W like lead white whichisusedinillustrations. example, maycausetarnishingofsomepigments manuscripts. Sulphurcontainingbiocides,for adversely affecttheillustrationson taken not touseanychemicalwhichmay the insectsmustbeemphasized. Cleanliness andgoodhousekeeping tocontrol growth of bio-deteriogensintheseareas. warm orhumidatmosphere, whichfavourthe avoid/rectify conditions,suchasastagnant, from theseinsects.Itisalsoimportantto in storagecanalsohelpprotecting paintings rapping thepaintingswithcottonclothwhile The useofamodifiedatmosphere isalso It isimportanttonotethatmostofthese V arious typesofchemicalsare usedto feb 2006.qxd

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Page 21 New Delhi KK GuptaisSeniorConservator, NationalMuseum, conservation. therefore saidtobethemostessentialformof whole collectionsimultaneously, anditmay which wecanslowdownthedegradationof that preventive conservationistheonlymeansby legibility. However, itisalsoimportanttonote possible totheiroriginalstrength, flexibilityand deterioration andtobringthembackasclose must betaken toprotect themanuscriptsfrom Therefore, bothpreventive andcurativemeasures and topassthemonfuture generation. generation tosavethisformofnationalheritage therefore, oneofthemaindutiespresent information andknowledgetheycontain.Itis, objects ofthepastbutalsobecause Manuscripts are importantnotonlyasthe Conclusion necessary timeperiod. oxygen) isintroduced. Thisiskept forthe (to achieveatmosphere oflessthanonepercent about sixtypercentconcentration)ornitrogen the chamber, andcarbondioxide(usuallyat dioxide. Inthismethodtheairisevacuatedfrom the stafffrom exposure tohighlevelofcarbon There is also apotentialdangertomembersof carbonic acidifitcomesincontactwithwater. cause somedamageduetotheformationof primarily nitrogen, anddecrease ofoxygen. e.g. increased carbondioxide,useofinertgases, infestation. Thetermrefers toseveralprocesses being explored forthecontrol ofinsect 10. Shankaracharya 9. Knowledge 8. Panini 7. Brahmi 6. Madras Modiscript University, 5. Chennai Bhaskaracharya 4. Prakrit 3. Assam 2. Palaeography 1. Answers totheQuiz Carbon dioxide,ifusedfortheprocess, can

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Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd thousand speciesoftrees, grasses,creepers, ornamental fish.Inflora,there are more thanone local fish,includingsixtyfive varietiesof amphibians andmore thanonehundred typesof species ofmammals,nearlytentypes one hundred wetlandsorbeels,more thantwenty Government ofIndia.Italsoboastsmore than declared asanImportantBird Area (IBA)bythe Majuli inthewinterseasonandithasbeen storks andinnumerablemigratorybirds visit some veryrare speciesofbirds. Endangered has helpedintheprotection andpreservation of numbers.. Infact,isolationfrom themainland wetlands towhichmigratorybirds flockinlarge wrath andrapture. Majuliboastsofanumber currently. Itisauniqueexhibitionofnature’s of itssizetoninehundred square kilometers continuous erosion hasresulted inthedepletion hundred andfiftysixsquare kilometers. However, total area ofMajuliwasonethousandtwo in theJorhat districtofAssam.Before 1950,the largest inhabitedriverisland oftheworld,itfalls L location betweenthetwostreams ofBrahmaputra, Majuli hassupposedlyderiveditsnamefrom its The Islands these richculturalinheritances. important andatthesametimedifficulttosave in Assamaswelltheinsurgency factormake it frequency andtheoverwhelmingnature offloods house ofalarge numberof manuscripts.The Assam fornearlyfivehundred yearsandastore important religious andculturalhotspotof manuscripts kept insatras.Majulihasbeenan r The purposeofthevisitwastoassessground ‘Manuscriptology &Preventive Conservation’. Assam toattendastatelevelworkshopon Informatics Centre visitedMajuliislandsin National MissionforManuscriptsand R Anurag Arora W Majuli: Where Manuscriptsare T ealities forlaunchingadigitizationprogram of

ohit andKherkatiaSuti.Acknowledged asthe ecently ateamcomprisingofdelegatesfrom 18/3/06 ravelogue orshipped

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Page 22 devotional songsand bayan orplayingofdrumandcymbals; choidhya prasanga worshipped onlythrough naamprasanga-prayers; Krishna isthesupreme lord andheis tobe sole Almighty).HebelievedthatVishnu or V great socialreformer, foundedanewcultof distinctive religio-cultural flavour. Sankardev, the culture inMajuliandushered inanera witha disciple, Madhabdev, laidthefoundationofsatriya Mahapurush SrimantaSankardev andhischief must stepbacktothesixteenthcenturywhen exercised onitsinhabitants. - theantiques,manuscripts,relics etc.-have influence thatthehistoricalproperty ofthesatras culture. Thismaybewitnessedinthedegree of has beeninfluencedandmouldedbytheSatriya neo-Vaishnavite religion, artandculture, Majuli deserving ofattention.Anerve-centre ofthe cultural make-up oftheislandMajuliisnoless As fascinatingasitsbiologicaldiversityis,the Identity ofaDistinctiveCultural Emergence Majuli withevergreen anddeciduousforests. are found.Sufficientrainandhumidityendow flowers, orchids, fernsandotherformsofplants Priest atAuniatiSatraworhsipping manuscript aishnavism knownas To

trace theroots ofthisdevelopment,one National Mission forManuscripts or fourteenprayers;gayan- bhaona ‘Ek Sarania’ or theatrical (devotion to borgeet or final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts Lo r Madhabdev. Themostpopular themesare these are originaltextswrittenbySankardev and thousand manuscriptsbetweenthem.Mostof fifty indifferent satrasandatotalofaround four the numbersrangefrom tentothree hundred and Every satrahasitsowncollectionofmanuscripts, Sanchi Pat: arranged inarectangular orsquare form. four hatisorrows ofcottagesfortheinmates hall, themonikeet orthesanctumsanctorumand campus. Amodelsatrahasanaamgharorprayer these office-bearers reside withinthesatra satradhikari satradhikari r inmates, called Buddhist monasterieswhere anumberof eroded awayorhavebeen shifted tootherplaces. existence atpresent. Therest haveeitherbeen established there, onlytwentytwoare in them. Ofthesixtyfoursatraswhichwere and propagating Vaishnavism aspreached by sixteenth andseventeenthcenturies,practicing Madhabdev establishedsixtyfoursatrasinthe Majuli inAssam.ThefollowersofSankardev and of satrasandtherisingreligious prominence of That meetingwasfollowedbytheestablishment Sankardev andMadhabdevmetforthefirsttime. in Majuli,wasnamedaftertheplacewhere The BelguriSatra,thefirstsatratobeestablished Satras pilgrimage centersforVaishnavites andothers. of thepeopleAssamandare important are thecentersofreligious, culturalandsociallife chant thegloryofgod.Thesatrassituatedhere performances. Theseare someofthemediumsto worship; Satra); Nidana (Auniati Satra);illustratedBhagawatandthe include important manuscriptspreserved atthesatras collections ofillustratedmanuscripts.Themost or thebarkofatree. Thesatrasalsohouserare Almost allmanuscriptsare writtenon eligion (mainlyconcernedwiththeworshipof eligious activities.Ineachsatra,there isa In termsoffunctioning,satrasresemble rd

Krishna), medicine,astrology andzoology. , amanuscriptonetiology(Bengenaati T Hasti Vidyarnava antrasar Charit-Puthi feb or thedeputyheadofsatra.Both or theheadofsatraanda 2006.qxd Assamese Manuscripts bhaktas , amanuscriptaboutrituals of , abiographicalmanuscript

, dedicatethemselvesto 18/3/06 , atreatise onelephants

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Page deka 23 Satra); on saintsandPurana,Hinduscripture (Dakhimpat r the originalwhichiskept inaboxthepraying The manuscriptthatisworshippedacopyof homage tothemanuscriptandthenwrapsitup. reading.the startofnextday’s Heagainpays reading,day’s abookmarkisplacedtoindicate a mustard oillamp.Upon completion ofthe customary toread themanuscriptinlightof r down andthen,openingthemanuscript,starts tribute tothemanuscriptbybowinghishead The prieststartstheworshipbypayinghis allowed towitnessthisactivityatAuniati Satra. not idolsofgods.We were privilegedtobe it isthemanuscriptsthatare worshipped,and presence of deitiesinthemaintemplecomplex, tribute totheLord. Althoughonenotesthe evening, foronehoureach.Itisconsidered a everyday -onceinthemorningand the headpriestworshipsmanuscriptstwice Living ManuscriptTraditions written bySankardev (UttarKamalabari Satra) written byMadhabdevandDasamaascripture the NationalMissionforManuscripts. Anurag AroraistheCoordinator forDigitizationat logistical supportfordigitization. training) andsettingupoftechnological the conservationofmanuscripts(basiclevel the upkeep ofmanuscripts,toimparttraining for plans includeproviding supporttothesatrasfor digitization workasearlypossible.Immediate only madeusmore determinedtostartthe prevalent inclementweather. continuing erosion oftheislandand by theperpetualthreat ofviolence, the optimistic. There are clearlymanyhurdles posed by fearofmilitantactivities,isnotthemost The current situationatMajuli,pervadedasitis Future Uncertain head priestbehindcloseddoors. from timetoandthisisalsodonebythe purposes theychangetheclothofmanuscript manuscript outofthebox.For conservation One interesting factaboutthesesatrasisthat oom ora‘brass eading from where hehadleftearlier. Itis F irst-hand observationofalltheabovehas Nam-Malika sarai , Ratnawali ’. Theydonottake the , ascripture

23 Kriti Rakshana final newsletter 24

Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd knowledge", hetracedthecontribution of the scopeandcontenton "notionof information, knowledgeand wisdom.Stressing distinctions betweenthecategoriesof V P seminar wasinauguratedbyDr. V. R. application tobenefitcontemporarysociety. The contained inmanuscriptsthrough research and talked aboutcontextualizingtheknowledge Thyagarajan, Vice Chancellor, MadrasUniversity, In hispresidential address, Prof. S.P. and spoke onthecourseofactionforfuture. activities oftheMissioninlastthree years welcomed theparticipantsandsummarized Gopalakrishnan, MissionDirector, NMM, In theinauguralsessionDr. Sudha disciplines reflecting India’sintellectualhistory. seminar, representing different academic More thanfortyscholarsparticipatedinthe Conservation, DocumentationandDigitization. and theArts,MedicinalKnowledge and Religion, ScienceandTechnology, Folklore Culture, LanguageandLiterature, Philosophy seven academicsessionsincludingHistoryand in thecontextofglobalization,wasdividedinto India’s contributiontotheworldofknowledge The seminar, whichexplored thethemeof event initsownpremises. Sanskrit andTamil departmentsandhostedthe in 2006,organized theseminarthrough its celebrates hundred andfiftyyearsofitsinception 9th to11thFebruary. TheUniversity, which collaboration withtheMadrasUniversityfrom Knowledge Systems’,heldinChennai seminar titled‘ManuscriptsandIndian Manuscript Week’. Oneofthesewasathree-day series ofprogrammes titled‘KritiRakshana: its third anniversaryinFebruary 2006witha The NationalMissionforManuscriptscelebrated Sudha Gopalakrishnan In CollaborationwiththeUniversityofMadras,9th-11thFebruary, 2006 Indian KnowledgeSystems’ R anchamukhi, Chancellor, Rashtriya Samskrit

idyapeeth (Tirupati) whomadeclearthe 18/3/06 eport ofSeminaron‘Manuscriptsand

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Page 24 observed thatmanuscriptsshould bemademore ancillary literature. Dr. DominikGoodall brahmana-s, aranyaka-s,Upanishad-s andother corpus ofVedic literature includingsamhita-s, Chaubey tracedIndianknowledgethrough the session onPhilosophyandReligion, Prof. B.B. tradition ofIndia’sknowledge.Inthethird stressed theimportanceofgrammarin such aspalmleaf,birch barkandmetal,also from theavailabilityofdifferent basematerials that thedifferent scriptsinIndiahaveevolved on themanuscriptheritageofIndia,observed Southeast Asia.Prof. Kutumba Sastri,speaking such asGermany, Britain,Italyaswellin r Muraleemadhavan tracedthemanuscript problem ofdatinginIndia’stextualhistory. Prof. about thehistoryofmanuscriptsand chaired byDr. Saroja Bhate,Prof. Cardona spoke ones. InthesessiononLanguageandLiterature as manuscripts,fortheseare priortotheSanskrit inscriptions onpotteryshouldalsobeconsidered Sri IravathamMahadevanemphasizedthat India. Referring toTamil inscriptionsonpottery, the evolutionoftextualtraditioninSouth knowledge, whileProf. Champakalakshmitraced on theimportanceofinscriptionsinpursuit Dr. R.Nagaswamiwhochaired thesessionspoke In thefirstsessiononHistoryandCulture, dwelt onthepoweroforaltransmissioninIndia. them towesterntheoriesofexegesis andalso the Indianprinciplesofmimamsa,hecompared systems shouldnotbeusedcasually. Speakingon cautioned thatterminologiessuchasknowledge Emeritus Professor, UniversityofPennsylvania k approach inthepursuitofknowledge.Inhis emphasized thatIndiaalwayshadanintegrated several otherstoIndia’sintellectualtradition,and Aryabata, Varahamihira, Bhaskaracharyaand different thinkers like Panini, Kanada, Kautilya, epositories outsideIndiaindifferent countries eynote address, Prof. George Cardona, National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts Dharmadhikari, Mr. T. S.Shridhar, Manuscripts chaired byDr. T. N. Documentation andDigitization of session onConservation, sections ofsociety. Intheseventh system whichwouldbenefitall medicine andaimforaunified appeal wastostudyallsystemsof context.Hismoving in today’s glory, andthatitneedstobeapplied enough todwellonIndia’spast presentation stressed thatitisnot Dr. SolomonVictor inhisimpressive manuscript heritageofIndia,while of medicineasgleanedfrom the Alam, highlightedtheUnanisystem medical practice.Dr. HKM.M.D. epic Mahabharatatoexplainprecepts ofSiddha which symbolicallyusesthecharactersfrom the gave apresentation onthetextMaruttubharatam expert onSiddhamedicineandmanuscripts, acceptable allovertheworld.Dr. S.Prema, an application more seriouslysothatitcanbecome needs totake upmethodsof research and vaccination. However, hestressed thatIndia they were inventedinthewest,suchas medical practicesprevalent inIndiamuchbefore systems. Dr. B.M.Hegde,talked aboutthe strengths oftheIndianmedicalknowledge medicine whohavealsocombinedinthemthe medical practitionersfrom thefieldofallopathic A session. Theparticipantswere expertson Medicinal Knowledgewasthetopicofsixth himself. India’scontributiontothefieldof Dr. V. ArasuandDr. Muthukumarswamy Sudha Gopalakrishnan,Dr. B.M.Sundaram, several presentations includingthosebyDr. Arts chaired byDr. Muthukumarswamyhad discussed indetail.ThesessiononFolklore and during theancientandmedievalperiodswere scientific systemsthatwere prevalent inIndia India. Thedifferent schoolsandpracticesof science andseveralotherscientificdisciplinesin devoted tojyotisha,dharmasastra-s,mineral there were impressive papers andpresentations In thefourthsessiononScienceandTechnology, of theNepal-Germanproject ondigitization. easily accessibletoscholarsandcitedtheexample yurveda, Unani,andSiddha,apartfrom leading feb 2006.qxd

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2:08 PM Seminar on“ManuscriptsandIndian KnowledgeSystems”inChennai

Page 25 manuscripts. r change, andthere isanurgency tothetaskof r wish toworkonthem.Theworldhascome properly andmadeavailable toscholarswho this, manuscriptsneedtobedocumented expertise required incontemporaryIndia.For through research andapplication,tosuit tradition ofknowledgeshouldbemaderelevant, through theseminarwasthatIndia’sgreat The mostcriticalissuethatkept reappearing important seminar. several areas, includingtheorganization ofthis collaboration ofNMMandMadrasUniversityin Madras Universityexpressed herhappinessatthe In thevaledictoryfunction,Registrar of Catalogorum project oftheMadrasUniversity. r Dash gavethedetaileddescriptionofhistory, conservation ofmanuscripts.Prof. Siniruddha gave apresentation onthemethodsofpreventive T Mr. Ramachandara Budihal.Dr. Jeyarajfrom Mahabharata SamsodhanaPratisthanam by Asok Kumar, IGNCAbyMr. P. Jha, included thedigitizationeffortsofC-DitbyMr. Library, Chennai.Theotherpresentations of Tamil NaduincludingthatoftheOriental Department ofArchaeology oftheGovernment T Commissioner, Archaeology, Governmentof eclaiming inheritanceofknowledgecontainedin ecognize knowledgeasthekey resource for elevance andpracticeoftheNewCatalogus amil NaduGovernmentMuseum(Chennai) amil Nadu,describedthedifferent activitiesof

25 Kriti Rakshana final newsletter 26

Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd January –February 2006 Summary ofEvents Scholars and participants atJNUWorkshopScholars andparticipants 1st -10thFebruary: JNU Workshop Museum (NewDelhi)discussedthesubjectof electronic mediaandMr. K.K.Gupta,National the issueofpreservation ofmanuscriptsthrough manuscripts. Dr. Pratap Jha,IGNCA,addressed presented lectures oncriticaleditingof Khan Nadwi,JamiaMiliaIslamia(NewDelhi) University (NewDelhi)andProf. ShafiqAhmed P Mishra, Kurukshetra University, Prof. R.K. University (Bhubaneswar),Dr. Surendra Mohan University, Dr. SubhasChandraDash,Utkal (Lucknow), Prof. Ratna Basu,Calcutta Vrat Sastrifrom JNU.Prof. K.Thapliyal in manuscriptpreservation andresearch. cataloguing andtheuseofinformationtechnology critical editing,conservation,historyofwriting, manuscriptology andpalaeographyincluding scholars were taughtvariousaspectsof five studentsofpost-graduatecoursesandresearch Jawaharlal NehruUniversity, Delhiwherein sixty National MissionforManuscripts(NMM)and P W andey, SriLalbahadurShastriSanskrit alaeography

18/3/06 orkshop onManuscriptologyand The workshopwasinauguratedbyProf. Satya

2:08 was jointlyorganized bythe PM

Page The fifth 26 National Lo presence of Dr. Ramkaran SharmaandProf. K workshop wascoordinated byProf. ShasiPrabha preventive conservationofmanuscripts.The Survey received widespread publicityand and Commercial Taxes on1February 2006.The was inauguratedbytheMinisterforEducation on manuscriptsintheirpossession.TheSurvey issued anappealtothepeoplegaveinformation In Tamil Nadu,theHonourableChiefMinister were from thetribalareas inavarietyofscripts. wealth ofTripura. Mostofthemanuscriptsfound which hespoke oftheneedtosavemanuscript inaugurated theSurveyinafittingceremony in Honourable GovernorShriD.N.Sahaya, conditions ofeachState.InTripura, the were abigsuccesskeeping inmindthespecific of JanuaryandFebruary 2006.AlltheSurveys Nadu, AndhraPradesh andGujaratin themonths The NationalSurveytookplaceinTripura, Tamil forManuscripts The NationalSurvey introduced acourseonManuscriptology. news thatJawaharlalNehruUniversityhasnow umar andthevaledictoryfuctionwitnessed k The workshopwasalsoenlivenedbythe esh Chandra. Pr concluded on1March 2006. found. InGujarat,theSurvey two lakhmanuscriptshavebeen preliminary reports, more than press andaccording to covered extensivelyintheTelugu F R Chief MinisterShriY.S. was launchedbytheHonourable Andhra Pradesh have beenlocated.TheSurveyin more than16,000repositories upto three lakhmanuscriptsand preliminary reports suggestthat ebruary 2006.TheSurveywas ajashekhara Reddy on14 National Mission forManuscripts eliminary reports are awaited. final newsletter National Mission forManuscripts of history. Notonlythat, they mayalsobe of theserecords assource materialsforstudents which facilitatetheirprofession aspriests. practice ofwritingrecords from theirforefathers, r unique andsystematicwaytomaintainthese maintained bythepriests.Thepriestsfollowa generations intheelephantinerecord books handwriting oftheirancestorsseveral P priests inpilgrimcentres isanage-oldpractice. k origin, caste,community, profession, etc.The k centres ofIndiaandtherecords theycontinueto Centres’ Documents: BooksKept byPriests atPilgrim historian, presented alecture on Emeritus, PunjabUniversity, andaneminentart 27th January: B.N.Goswamy T memorable evening! attended andmoststayedrighttilltheendofa panache. More thanfivehundred people songs oflonginganddevotionwithgreat eight yearsold!Expressively rendered, theysang instrumentalists theyoungestofwhomwasjust troupe ofbackground vocalistsand the renowned Nizamibrothers andtheirlarge an equallymovingperformanceofQawwaliby of literature. Following himwasthedifferent but part ofthedevotionalShaivaSiddhantacorpus and ninthcenturiesAD.Thehymnscomprisea time oftheNayanarsaintsbetweenseventh music formthatoriginatedasfarbackthe evening withnotesfrom theTamil devotional P The renowned Tevaram and for awonderfuleveningandfittinganniversary. and yetveryrichstylesofdevotionalmusicmade spectacular performancesoftwoverydifferent setting intheFountain Lawnsandtwo F the IndiaInternationalCentre, NewDelhion7 anniversary withaneveningofsacred musicat The Missioncelebratedtheoccasionofitsthird An EveningofSacredMusic ecords. Theyinherittheserecords andthe attvabodha LectureSeries eeping ofsuchgenealogicalrecords bythe eep ofpilgrimssuchastheirancestors,place eople cancomeacross thenamesand ebruary 2006.Pleasantweather, abeautiful ithukuli Murugadasandhistroupe openedthe This lecture dealtwithpriestsinpilgrim Pr of. Goswamyalsostressed theimportance . feb 2006.qxd

18/3/06 Bhajan

2:08 ‘Unsung , Professor singer Shri PM

Page 27 r construction ofmonasteries alongthemaintrade T of translatingSanskritBuddhistliterature into western Tibet hadtaken upthestupendoustask r 1055), thepersonwhowasresponsible forthe as theperiodofRin-Chenbzang-po(988– manuscripts preserved inmonasteries,are asold of theWestern Himalayas.Manyofthese preserved inBuddhistmonasteriesthisregion presented anaccountoftheTibetan manuscripts Kinnaur andadjoiningareas ofLaddak.He was related tofrontier districtsofLahaul,Spiti, W Pr W Wo University, Simladelivered alecture on Depatrment ofHistory, HimachalPradesh 23rd February: Prof. LaxmanS.Thakur, genealogicaldocument. in hisownfamily’s masterpieces aswelltheillustrationshemade He alsoshowedsomeslidesofNainsukh’s r P for thetracesofNainsukh,aneighteenthcentury documents through thestoryofhisownsearch but take littlecare topreserve themproperly. jealously maintainthesecrecy oftheserecords and are vulnerable toravagesoftime.Thepriests invaluable records are piledup,leftunattended, inheritance. However, inmostofthecases,these justice incasesinvolvingdisputesoverproperty presented asauthenticevidenceincourtsof Prof. B.N.Goswamy outs intheregion. Severalmonastic complexes enaissance ofBuddhisminthisarea. eferences tohimintherecord booksofpandas. ahari painter, andexplainedhowhecameacross ibetan language.Theroyalty supported the estern Himalayanregion andhispresentation of. Thakurstartedwiththedefinitionof estern HimalayanBuddhistMonasteries’. During theGreat Revision therulersof Pr rd of. Goswamyrelated thevalue ofsuch

of theBuddha:Tibetan Manuscriptsin ‘Revered

27 Kriti Rakshana final – www.namami.nic.in please visitourwebsite For moreinformation across thecountry. Centers Conservation Centers andManuscript Manuscript Resource lectures atourvarious we alsoorganise month. Alongwiththis Thursday ofevery 6:30 pmonthelast at IIC,NewDelhi month one lectureevery whereby weorganise T lecture series, Manuscripts hostsa National Missionfor attvabodha newsletter 28 , Kriti Rakshana feb 2006.qxd tearing, stickingoffolios,fungus anddamaged accumulation ofdust,foxing, stains,charring, were vulnerabletovariousproblems suchas k manuscripts were wrappedinplasticbagsand eight hundred andsixmanuscripts.These preventive conservation.Theteamhasattendeds F conservation visitedthislibraryinthemonthof Library collectionfirst.Thecentralteamfor has chosenProf. Pritam SinghManuscripts r technical assistancetotheserepositories with has launchedamassiveprogramme ofproviding P Manuscripts LibraryandBhashaBhavanin manuscripts, suchasProf. Pritam Singh institutional. manuscript repositories, bothprivateand the missionhaslocateddifferent potential its endeavourPunjabisnotleftout.InPunjab, marked itspresence inallregions ofIndiaandin The NationalMissionforManuscriptshas inPunjab Efforts Conservation collection hassurvived. is surprisingthat,onlytwentypercent ofthe Pragyaparamita seventy percent ofthemanuscriptsbelongto large bundlesare there inthismonastery. About r T are inLahaul andSpitidistrict.Thecollectionat K T monasteries locatedatplacescalledSarahan, popularly knownasAtish. bzang-po andlaterDipankarShriJnan,whowas Buddhist literature wasplayedbyRin-Chen important role inthisgreat revision ofSanskrit along withceremonial items.Themost authentic monastery wasprovided withthecopiesof the ‘seconddiffusion’ ofBuddhism.Each translated oreditedworksaccomplishedduring became centres ofscriptorium,preserving either that emerged alongthetraderouts virtually espect topreservation ofmanuscripts. egion. Nearly36,000folios,rappedupinsixty ept insteelcupboards. Inthatconditionthese atiala. Afterlocatingthesecentres, theMission abo monasteryconstitutesthelargest inthe ebruary andprovided assistanceintheformof

ipo, Namgaya,Tasigam, allinKinnaur; Tabo, ungri, Kye, Gondla,theseare theplaceswhich 18/3/06 While implementingthisstrategy, the Mission There are somelarge repositories of T ibetan manuscriptsare preserved in Sutras

2:08 PM , class ofliterature. Indeed,what Pragyaparamitas

Page 28 and othertexts • Exhibition the internet. help theMissiontomake the dataavailableon document themanuscriptsinproper formatand Manuscripts Partner Center(MPC)whichwill the Missionhasdecidedtomake thislibrary These manuscriptsare yettobedocumented.So are writteninPunjabi,Persian andSanskrit. subjects like religion, poetryandphilosophy Manuscripts preserved here dealwithvarious Manuscripts Libraryisofgreat importance. paper onshelves. wrapping, threading andspreading insecticidal infected manuscripts,dusting,andcleaning, emergency treatment, suchassegregation of team includesreorganization ofcollectionand binding. Thetaskaccomplishedbythecentral Prof. LaxmanS.ThakurandLamaDoboomTulku • Lecture by • Lecture F April onwards the NationalMuseum,New Delhifrom 18th in collaborationwiththeNational Museumat 6:30 p.m. 2006, atIndiaInternationalCentre Annexe at and theChallengesAhead’ Knowledge DigitalLibrary: APerspective General, CSIR,NewDelhi,on This collectionatProf. Pritam Singh orthcoming Events Akshara: TheEnduringSyllable Dr. R.A.Mashelkar National Mission forManuscripts on 30thMarch, ‘T , Director raditional ,