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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 Sadaivacha Savalingari Vrata, a manuscript presently Publisher's details: Mission Director in the collection of Rajasthan Oriental National Mission for Manuscripts Research Institute, Jodhpur. No. 5, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Road New Delhi 110 001 Print: Azure Press Tel: +91 11 23383894 Email: [email protected] National Mission for Manuscripts is an Website: www.namami.nic.in undertaking of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India. final newsletter.qxd 12/5/06 5:23 PM Page 1
From the Editor Contents
The first issue of Kriti Rakshana, published two 1. Digital Restoration 2 months ago, received a warm response from readers Anurag Arora across the country, and for this we would like to thank you all. In that issue, among other articles, we had 2. Travelogue – also outlined some of the concerns that NMM is In Search of Manuscripts in Manipur 5 constantly addressing with regard to manuscripts, for Gitanjali Surendran instance survey and documentation as well as increasing public awareness and participation in 3. nks nqyZHk xzaFkksa dk leq)kj 8 manuscript heritage. Jitender B. Shah
In this second issue of Kriti Rakshana, therefore, we 4. Profile – Mahamahopadhayaya have attempted to discuss other aspects of heritage Gopinath Kaviraj 10 management, as it relates to manuscripts – digitization of manuscripts and conservation of manuscripts. 5. The Story of Ink 12 Readers who find themselves fascinated by tales of Neeraja Gopi serendipitous occurrences will probably find the anecdotes from Gujarat, related by Dr. Jitubhai Shah, 6. Institution in Focus – very satisfying. As for Siribhuvalaya, the text in focus Oriental Research Institute, Mysore 15 this time, we would like to mention that as Dr. H.R. Nagaraja Sharma astonishing as the form and the idea of text itself are, it is even more interesting to note that such texts also 7. Tracing Manuscripts on Medicine– exist in other regions of India such as Gujarat. Seminar on "Saving India’s Medical Manuscripts" 19 We request you to send us your feedback on this Dr. Sudha Gopalakrishnan publication at our mailing address. I would also like to mention that if you know of any such Institution, 8. Heritage Watch – Islamic Manuscript manuscript repository or educational organization that Conference, July 2005 21 does not receive Kriti Rakshana, NMM’s free bi- Dr. Imtiaz Ahmad monthly publication, but would be interested in doing so, please let us know at the following address – NMM, No. 5, Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi – Other 110001 or at our website www.namami.nic.in . You could also e-mail us at [email protected]. Focus on Text – Siribhuvalaya 18 Dr. M.A. Lakshmithathachar
Quiz 20
Neha Paliwal Summary of Events: July - October 2005 23 Kriti Rakshana Kriti
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12/5/06 quicker disintegrationoftheseoriginals. The and archive holdingscausesasubstantially stressing thatpublic accesstooldmanuscripts value isgrowing bytheday, itisalsoworth old manuscriptsandtheiraestheticscientific safeguarding ofexistingdocuments. therefore, aimstoinitiateandsupportthe indigenous knowledgesystems.Thismission, information aboutourhistory, culture and and tocontributethegeneralavailabilityof from whichourhistoricalconsciousnessgrows to stimulatearesponsible approach tosources make itaccessibletofuture generations.Itaims historyandto information aboutthecountry’s government havetheresponsibility topreserve established onthepremise thatsocietyandthe loss willbedefinitiveandirrevocable. frequently unique,isthatit ispossiblethatits from thedistantpast,informationthatis be kept inmindwhentalkingaboutinformation would betechnologicallyimpossible.Apointto for future generations?To preserve allofit from thisgiganticoutputneedstobepreserved raises animportantquestion:Whatinformation are sidelined. ensured, evenwhileotherkindsofinformation information mustbeprioritizedanditsexistence necessitates aprocess ofselection;some less assured isitslongevity. Thisdilemma indicates, themore theinformationcreated, the comprehensively sofar. Ascommonsense longevity andhasnotbeenaddressed information ispresently more relevant thanits fact, theissueofeffectiveconsumption without thehelpofcomputertechnology. In remain orientatedinthisfloodofinformation and itisbecomingincreasingly difficultto formats iscreated dailythrough variousmedia A tremendous quantityofinformationinvarious Anurag Arora Digital Restoration
5:23 While itishearteningtonotethatinterest in National MissionforManuscriptswas For thoseworkingintheheritagearena, this PM
Page 2 3. 2. 1. conditions: necessary tocomplywiththefollowingbasic the useoforiginalsinaradicalmanner, itis make thisfacsimileacceptableandtodecrease original manuscriptwithafacsimile.Inorder to Digitization isaprocess thattriestoreplace the Conditions forImplementation digitization are outlinedbelow. process ofdigitization.Theconditionsfor case. Thenextstepwouldbetounderstandthe for thedigitizationofmanuscriptsanurgent the disintegrationofmanuscriptsclearlymakes manuscripts. technology thatenablesthedigitizationof of doingthisisthrough theuseofcomputer accessing them.Oneofthetriedandtestedways to theoriginalsandofferanalternativewayof solution istolimitordiscontinuepublicaccess The needtoincrease accessibilityandprevent want toviewitin. viewed ineverywaythatthe userswould options toensure thatthedatacanbe easy touseandmustincludemultiple digital facsimile.Thesoftware shouldbe Users mustbeableandwillingtoacceptthe User-friendliness libraries. require minimumfundsfrom thebudgetsof hardware shouldbeaffordable soasto facsimile mustbeeasilyaccessible.The software enablingtheworkwithdigital amount oftimeandthehardware and Data mustbemadeavailableinareasonable Applicability must beensured. Clear visualsandreadability ofthedata data isthemostsignificantrequirement. High-quality digitizationofbasicimage Quality ofdigitization National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts media hasbeenpartlydamaged.Further, the and exactreconstruction evenwhentheoriginal be stored withcertainredundancy enablingitsfull of theoriginalmediaonwhichitisfoundandcan threatened bydisintegration. few verysignificantcollectionsthatare impossible, there isaneed to limitthefocusa Since thedigitizationofeachtheseisalmost there are more thanfivemillionmanuscripts. process. InIndiaalone,NMMhasestimatedthat It isinevitabletherefore thatitbeaselective costly -inbothmanpowerandmonetaryterms. and user-friendliness, theprocess itselfisquite Given thatagoodfacsimilerequires highquality Selection ofManuscriptsforDigitization in asmanysources aspossible. access tothemshouldbelimitedasquicklyand that theoriginalsare irreplaceable, andtherefore Reduce thehandlinganduseoffragileor • Improve servicestoanexpandingusers • Increase access:thisisthemostobvious • decision todigitizemaybeinorder to: of non-digitalsource material,are varied.The project, or more precisely for digitalconversion The reasons forimplementingadigitization Goals ofDigitization Digital scannerinuse,Kashmir The nature ofdigitalinformation isindependent However, itshouldbeemphasizedonceagain backup copyofendangered material. heavily usedoriginalmaterialandcreate a education. institution’s resources withrespect to group by providing enhancedaccesstothe specific collection. has thedesire toimprove accesstoa demand from usersandthelibraryorsource and primaryreason, where there isahigh
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Page 3 Four thousandVaishnava manuscriptsin • OnethousandKutiyattam manuscriptsfrom • Three thousandfivehundred illustrated • Sixthousandfivehundred Siddha • SixthousandmanuscriptsofIqbalLibrary • India. Theseare asfollows: five cachesofmanuscriptsinstatesacross representatives ofourculturalinheritance. first steptosavesomeofthemostvaluable National MissionforManuscriptshastaken the fifty orhundred years.Inthisregard the may perishduetowearandtearoverthenext estimate thatalmostallpalmleafmanuscripts proportion isnotpreserved scientifically. Experts monasteries, in thecustodyoflibraries,museums, birch bark,palmleaf,cloth, paperetc.Theyare and are writtenondifferent materials,suchas manuscripts are indifferent languagesandscripts collections ofmanuscriptsintheworld.These India hasperhaps oneoftheoldestandlargest and Digitization National MissionforManuscripts accordingly selectedfordigitization. needs toberealised andthemanuscript The importanceandrelevance oftheinformation information byunderliningorembellishingit. was writtenthescribewantedtotransmitcertain it isthebasicimagedatabutwhenmanuscript reader ofthemanuscript.Today wecouldsaythat that thescribewantedtocommunicate understood anddefined.Thisistheinformation matter containedinthemanuscriptneedstobe results inanirrecoverable lossofinformation.The Even verylittledamagecausedtothatmaterial itself acarrierofinteresting andvitalinformation. material thatthemanuscriptiscomposedon NMM hasstartedapilotproject fordigitizing recent years. increased floodinginthispartofIndia in constant threat ofbeingdamageddue to Majuli Islands,Assam,whichare under Kerala. illustrations (hand-madegraphicalimages). characterized bysomewonderful manuscripts ofOrissaStateMuseum, which discussmedicinalissues. manuscripts inthestateofTamil Nadu in Jammu&Kashmir. mutts and individuals.Asignificant madrasas ,
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12/5/06 medium withsuchwidespread usage and invariably showlowlongevity, there isnoother important tonotethatwhile boththesematerials digital imagesiseitheraCDorDVD. Itis The optimumstoragematerialusedforstoring Archival StorageofDigitalData Checks etal. of Manuscripts,ImageCapturing,Quality selecting theDigitizationEquipment,Handling document guidesthedigitizingagencyin the digitizationofmanuscripts.Thebrief can befollowedbyanyorganization practicing published asetofguidelinesandstandards that Establishworkflowprocedures anda • Haveasetofstrictrequirements bywhich • Establishhardware andsoftware • Make afinaldecisionaboutthestandard of • assessor willbeableto: Exactguidelinesonstandards of Recognition ofpresent andfuture usersneed. • • Full knowledgeofthemainattributes • formally itrequires thefollowing: resolution orbitdepthcorrectly andsoon.More information iscaptured, like settingthe process toensure thatthemostsignificant attempts tosetthelevelsusedincapture the beginningofadigitizationproject that This canbedefinedastheprocess undertaken at and Benchmarking forDigitization Appropriate QualityLevels Digitalized foliofromanimageofaKutiyattammanuscript,Thiruvanthapuram,Kerala
5:23 In thisregard, theMissionhasalready If thesethree attributesare present, the delivery timetable. any, shouldbeused. decision ofwhichout-sourcing agency, if vendor claimscanbejudged,andthe requirements ofproject. digitization (intermsofresolution, etc). surrogate. and future requirements ofthedigital acceptability thatwillmeetallrequirements source document. PM
Page 4 at NMM. Anurag Arora making itmore effectiveandefficient. as ourconfidenceandweare committedto programme hasstrengthened ourresolve aswell community regarding ourdigitization response wecontinuetoreceive from theworld artistic heritageofthecountry. The encouraging helping theculturalcommunitypreserve the taking updigitizationprojects inthefuture and web. issues fordigitalimagesmadeaccessibleoverthe thousands ofdigitalfilesandthevariousdelivery scanning, thepracticalrealities ofmanaging need tobeconsidered –theup-front costof used collections.Anumberofimportantfactors comprehensive scanningofthemore heavily sees scholarlybenefittobegainedfrom one, overmicrofilm oraphotocopy, theMission advantages ofadigitalimage,especiallycolour Mission’s direction. Apartfrom theaesthetic digitization project thatishelpingtoshapethe preliminary criteriahaveemerged through the Nevertheless, itisfairtosaythatsomeofthe remote usersissubjecttorapidchange. conversion, storage,retrieval anddeliveryto the future. Technologies associatedwithdigital kind ofdigitizationprojects itwillundertake in arrived atanyconclusivedecisionsaboutthe pilot project inscanningmanuscripts,NMMhas It wouldbepremature tosaythatbasedonthis Conclusion lost. ensure that thedigitaldatacreated willneverbe tested forquality. Thesearchival conditionsmust preserved inoptimalconditionsandperiodically where the CD-ROMs/DVD ROMswillbe designing specializedDIGITAL ARCHIVES conditions, theproblem canbesolvedonlyby comparable capacityandprice.Undersuch However, theseissueswillnotdeterusfrom is theCoordinatorforDigitization National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts Manorama Devilastyear. Themilitaryand Indian consciencewiththetragicdeathof the view. Manipurburstontothecollective to theattractive,green roofed airportadmiring ones leftinIndia.We getofftheplaneandwalk The airportmustbeoneofthelasttrulyquaint capture themysteryanduniquenessofManipur. houses andendlessstretches ofwateratonce window. Thestrangegreen circles, floating in theNorthEast,isvisiblefrom theairplane Lake,famous Loktak thelargest fresh waterlake lolling landscapeholdmuchpromise. The compact runwayinImphal,thegreen hillsand Switzerland’. Asourplanecomesdownonthe ‘Jewel ofIndia’andLord Irwincalledit‘India’s Pandit Nehrureferred tothistiny state asthe Imphal Diary important. to seethrough andalsothatmuchmore the Mission’s programmes allthemore difficult programmes. InManipur, theinsurgency makes modification oftheSurveyandotherMission set ofcircumstances thatnecessitatea Manuscripts inManipur. Eachstatehasaunique organized thefirsteverNationalSurveyfor Recently theNationalMissionforManuscripts The firstpageof Gitanjali Surendran Manipur In Search ofManuscriptsin Travelogue
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Page 5 manuscripts havetodowithastrology and distinctive, illustratedmanuscripts.Mostofthe agar tree, andthere existsaspecialgroup of manuscripts are onagarbakorthebarkof formations andManipuriHinduism.Mostofthe of bothpre-Hindu Meiticulturalfragmentsand reveals arare historyandculture thatisablend conservation. Onelookatthemanuscripts told thatmanuscriptshere urgently need collection ofhandwrittenmanuscripts,weare quiteunique document andconserveManipur’s Resource Centre andthatworkswithusto where theMissionhassetupaManuscript When wereach theManipurStateArchives, Manuscript Matters spots, everywhere. men withbiggunsinthestreets, thetourist favour. Laterwefindthere are manymilitary give in,hisratherlarge gunworkinginhis but thefirstsignoftensiononlysubsideswhenI that I’monlylookingforayoungercolleague, barks atmemenacinglytogetbackin.Iprotest to thetarmaclookforacolleague.Asoldier entering theairportandthenwalkingbackout gets offtheplane.Imake themistake offirst police presence isapparent from themomentone
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12/5/06 people wore thecoloursandsymbols oftheir symbols ofeachtheclans. Inoldertimes, shown adocumentofhand-painted totemic symbol isawhitesnake. At theArchives weare Our host’sclanistheLuwang whosetotemic to signifythecircle oflifeorlife’seternalcycle. head isalwaysshownaseatingitsowntailif the originaryandmythicpython.Theserpent’s that ofthePaphal thatdepicts364symbolsusing that amanuscriptutterlyuniquetoManipuris depictions ofcontortedserpents.We are told symbols thatseemmostlytobevarious clans. There are manymanuscriptsofthetotemic trace themselvestooneofthesevenoriginal host pointsout.EveryoneinManipurcanalso population isstillpredominantly Hindu,our There are thirtysixtribesinManipurbutthe Culture Contests pavements. people continuetoselltheirwares allalongthe candles comeoutalloverImphal’sroadsides as dilapidated hotelroom. Aseveningfalls,the hosts, aswesitlater, inthedarknessofour is atotalfailure inManipursaysoneofour end, peoplecouldnotcometowork.Electricity work thecomputers.Lastyear, formonthson work isslowbecausethere isnoelectricityto November. We are toldthatthedocumentation survey formanuscriptsinallthedistricts often resembles aserpent. manuscript weseeisbegunwithananjithat that eachmanuscriptisprotected. Every begun withthesacred letterortheanjitoensure manuscript! king wouldtake anystepwithoutconsultingthis and predicting earthquakes. Iamtoldthatno Subika Agarbakisonastrology, householdrules starting from thecreation oftheworldbygod. covers tellthegenealogyofKhumanclan inscribed usingasharpneedle.Themanuscript which looklike palmleavesandwhichare also Khumanlol, whichiswrittenonTengna leaves history.of Manipur’s We are shownthe Meiti worldviewthatcombinesmanyelements Creation oftheWorld’ represent thedistinctive Manuscripts like Leikharol or‘The theLeithak genealogical historiesoftheManipuriclans.
5:23 At theArchives, wediscussacensus-like We are toldthatMeitimanuscriptsare always PM
Page 6 to organize themselves toprotect theirproperty the maleswere killed.Thereafter, the womenhad seven yearsofsufferingduring whichmostof ‘Awalal’ orthewarwithBurmawasfollowedby cigarette andpuffsaway. Ourhostsaysthatthe fish onthepavementtakes outalighter, lightsa street, Ilookonasanoldwomansellingdried beatifically inashrineonecorner. Onanother up. Thepatron godsofthemarket stand before them.Asmallwarmemorialhasbeenset during theSecondWorld War, the Burmese a target intimesofwar. TheJapanese bombedit eaten. Sofamouswasthismarket thatitbecame sweetest, mostjuicypineapplewehaveever pineapple thatlateronturnsouttobethe doll. Ourhostbuysacosmetically–challenged purchase atinincenseburnerandManipuri mainland goodsmakes themcheapertobuy. I Myanmar. Apparently taxonnon-Indian that are dominatedbygoodscomingthrough pleasant changefrom Imphal’sothermarkets dried fishanddeadlyred chillies. Thisisa plots toselltheirwares includingvegetables, Akbar weare told.Here, onlywomenare leased Market datesbacktothetimeof The Mother’s The Mother’s Market Manipuri filmindustryasaresult. Imphal. Apparently there isaflourishing fire. Unsurprisingly, Bollywoodisbannedin with asurfeitofdocumentsthatwere savedfrom Library, theManipurStateArchives wasflooded story inIndia.Asaresult oftheattackon identity through languageandscriptisanold history repeating itself?Assertingcultural be replaced withtheMeitiscript.Acaseof arsonists wantedtheprevalent Bengaliscriptto Imphal’s CentralLibrarywasburntdown.The Survey findsthese. from the wrathofthekingandwehopethat protest, many manuscriptswere hiddenaway non–Hindu manuscriptsbeburnt.Insilent Hinduism, heordered thatthekingdom’s Hinduism. Asamarkofthevictory forcibly converted mostofthepopulationto a sonwhowentontobecomethekingand illicit affairwithaBengaliHindu.Sheproduced seventeenth century, aqueenofManipurhadan clan. Notanymore though.Apparently, inthe In April2005,fourhundred yearslater, National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts greatest colony. Andsoatombstonesolemnly Britannica stillremains inthiscornerofits Imagine that,asmallrelic ofthemightyPax Government ownsandmaintainsthislittleplot. over anyway. We are toldthattheBritish the evening,gatesare closedbutwejump this strife-riddenland.Whenwearriveatsixin the enemies.It’sstrikinglywell-maintainedin World War fightingtheJapaneseandINA, the ImphalWar CemeterydiedintheSecond soldiers “knownonlyuntoGod”.Theat tombstones read. There are manyunknown 27, diedon23January1945andsothe Zealand Airforce AirGunner, S.E.Sadler, Age Trotter oftheScots,Age25, Royal New D.J. Miller, Age23,Wilson, AspburyJones, Death inaFarCorner favour ofmales. the country, anditssexrationowfirmlyin then, Manipurhascaughtupwiththerest of the smoothrunningoffamilies!However, since down therulesformarriedcouplestoensure Yumbanlol manuscriptsoncopperplateslay control the kitchen!Perhaps that’swhythe charcoal’. Thisisbecausehisthree orfourwives King haseverythingbuthecannotgetapieceof ‘Manipuris are Alocalsaying goes, ‘The crazy’! to 7:1.Ourhostinsiststhatthat’swhy, and people.Theratioofwomentomendropped Papha l, from‘IllustratedManuscriptsof Manipur’ byMutuaBahadur, 2005
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Page 7 Surveys attheNationalMissionforManuscripts Gitanjali Surendran display. in nature dominatethebeautifulmanuscriptson destinies writteninthestars,oflookingforsigns life, withoutbeginningorend,thebeliefin many are illustrated.Thethemeofthecircle of beautiful exhibitionofmanuscriptswhich care duringtheSurvey. Ourhostsorganise a to giveusinformationonmanuscriptsintheir may notalwaysbesoobvious.We request them the knowledgeinmanuscripts–arelevance that the Missionhopestohighlightrelevance of of thepast.We trytoimpress uponthemthat that findsfewconnectionswiththeknowledge in thesemanuscriptstoayoungergeneration meeting thattheywanttopassontheknowledge keepers ofmanuscripts.Thementellusatthe barracks protects it. new statuestandsinitsplaceandamilitary Chandra Bosemore thantenyearsago. Nowa Militants destroyed thestatueofSubhash memorial andmuseumdominatethesmalltown. the JapanesedeadandatMoirang,INAwar Imphal, anotherwarcemeterycommemorates it wasplantedforever tolast”.Justoutsideof reads “Ikeep inmyhearttheloveofpastfor At Moirang,wemeetmanyoftheelderly is theCo-ordinatorfor
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12/5/06 izHkko foyhugksrkx;kvkSj/khjs&/khjsikV.klsfo}ku~ dqekjiky dhe`R;qdsi'pkr~xqtjkrlkezkT;dk xaFkky; esalax`ghrfd;ktkrkFkkAfdarqnqHkkZX;ls mu fnuksaesaHkkjrdsfofHkUuizkarksalsizfrf"BrxzaFkksadks fl)gse'kCnkuq'kklu tSlsdbZxzaaFkksadhjpukFkhA dk ;gdeZHkwfeFkkA;ghajgdjmUgksaus gqvkA tSu/keZdsdfydkyloZKvkpk;ZgsepUælwfjth FkkA blh;qxesavusdegÙoiw.kZxzaFkksadkfuekZ.kHkh vkfn dkvè;;u&vè;kiudk;ZHkhpjelhekij jkT;dky esaosn]mifu"kn~]U;k;]O;kdj.k]lkfgR; ,sls jktkds'kklulsçtklq[khFksAQyLo:ibuds esa vklDrFks]vfirqiztkoRlyrFkkfo|kfç;HkhFksA fd;k FkkA;sjktkudsoyviuslkezkT;dsfoLrkj lkezkT; dhlhekvksadkvçR;kf'kr:ilsfoLrkj fl)jkt] t;flag,oadqekjikyvkfnusvius igq¡pk FkkApkywD;oa'kdsçrkih,oaijkØehjktk FkhA mlle;xqtjkrdkfodklpjelhekij ,d gtkjo"kZiwoZ;guxjhxqtjkrjkT;dhjktèkkuh ^ikV.k* xqtjkrdk,dlqizfl)],sfrgkflduxjgSA Mk0 ftrsUæch'kkg vpZV d`rgsrqfcanqVhdk,oat;jkf'kHkV~VrÙoiIyoflag nks nqyZHkxzaFkksadkleq)kj A foliofrom
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12/5/06 , presentlyinthecollectionofL.D.InstituteIndology, Ahmedabad
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Page 9 Hkkjrh; laLd`rfo/kkefUnj]vgenkckn Mk0 ftrsUnzch'kkg]funs'kZd] ykyHkkbZ nyirHkkbZ dk izdk'kuvksfj,UVyfjlpZlsUVjusfd;kgSA laiknu iafMrlq[kykythusfd;kgSArFkknksuksaxzaFkksa gksrh gSvkSj;gg"kZdkfo"k;fdnksuksaxzaFkksa ds ?kjlsizkIrgqvkAbldhHkh,dek=izfrmiyC/k dh FkhijarqxzaFkizkIrgksughajgkFkkA;gh/kksch gS fd^t;jkf'kHkV~V*us^rÙoksiIyoflag*dhjpuk izkIr ughagksik;kFkkA;gmYys[kt:jIkk;ktkrk ^loZn'kZulaxzg* esaizkIrgksrkgSAfdUrqLora=xzaFk gSA dqNfo'ks"ko.kZugesa^"kM~n'kZuleqPp;*,oa esa ghpkokZdn'kZudsfl)Urksadko.kZuizkIrgksrk pkokZd n'kZuds[k.MuvoljijiwoZi{k:i mudk dksbZHkhxzaFkmiyC/kughagksrkgSAek=k esa pkokZdn'kZudhppkZloZ=izkIrgksrhgSAfdarq mlls Hkhvk'p;Zdhckr;ggSfdHkkjrh;ijaijk gqvk] ;gfo|ktxr~dsfy,vk'p;Zdh?kVukgSA izkIr ughagksjgsFksAmldkfy[kkgqvk,dxzaFk vFkkZr~ vpZVppkZdjusesaprqjgSAfdarqmudsxzaFk ckj mYys[kizkIrgksrsgSafd^^vpZVLrqppkZprqj%**A lq[kn vk'p;ZFkkA ,dek= izfrizkIrgqbZogHkh/kkschds?kjls;gcM+k iz;kl vlQyjgsAiwjsfo'oesabunksauksaxzaFkksadh vU; ikaMqfyfiizkIrdjusdhdksf'k'kdhAijarqlHkh laiknu dk;ZdkizkjaHkdjuslsiwoZmUgksausbuxzaFkksadh tSuxzaFkksa esackS)n'kZuehekalkdsvoljijdbZ
9 Kriti Rakshana final Kaviraj. the greatGopinath We beginbyfeaturing issue ofKritiRakshana. manuscripts inevery knowledge of manuscripts orour hunter orcontributorto philosopher, manuscript featuring onegreat feature, wewillbe ofanew As part newsletter.qxd 10 Kriti Rakshana
12/5/06 Aspects ofIndianThought, Sri writings includetheSaraswati BhawanSeries, in Bengali,English,Hindiand Sanskrit.His languages isevidentfrom thefactthathewrote seventy works.Hismasteryoveranumberof Sanskrit Bhawan,hepublishedmore than being appointedPrincipal. Duringhistenure at Government SanskritCollege,Benares eventually appointed thelibrarianofSanskritBhawan, M.A. from AllahabadUniversity. Hewas magazines. well-being. Asastudent,heregularly wrote for guided thestudentstowards moralandspiritual School, Dhaka.BabuChakravartiregularly who wasassistanttothePrincipal in Jubilee them beingBabuMathuramohanChakravarti, were agreat influenceinhislife—oneof by histeachersandwell-wishers.His academic interests were continuouslysupported kirtans inBrahmoSamajmandirs.His literature. Asayoungboy, heattendedbhajan- kindled hisinterest inSanskrittextsand his firstexposure totheworldofliterature and collection ofSanskritbooksandthisservedas vast in hislife.Heinheritedfather’s showed aphilosophicalbentofmindveryearly he completedhisprimaryeducation.Kaviraj with relatives inKanthalia andDhamrai,where Bangladesh). Hisearlyyearswere spentliving Dhaka districtoftheEastBengal(now Shaivism. be itTantra, BuddhistphilosophyorKashmiri was equallyknowledgeableofinallitsbranches, confined toasinglebranch.Onthecontrary, he His knowledgeofIndianphilosophywasnot jnani, butalsoasasadhak,yogiandguru. philosophy, heisremembered not onlyasagreat As perhaps oneofthegreatest scholarsofIndian with evenafaintinterest inIndianphilosophy. Gopinath Kaviraj isanamefamiliartoanyone Kanika Singh Gopinath Kaviraj Mahamahopadhayaya Profile
5:23 He completedhisB.A.from Jaipurandthen Kaviraj wasbornin1887Dharamrai, PM
Page 10 Kaviraj’s students,S.Bhattacharya.He contains anotheranecdotenarrated byoneof knowledge wasoverwhelming. Thebook as he/shemaywanthisvaststore of which alearnermayextractasmuchknowledge “Kaviraj jiborahain!”i.e.heisthesackfrom Kaviraj AbhinandanaGrantharemarks that plane. Dr. Vishwanath Prasad Verma, writingin took hisaudiencestoakindoftranscendental was sopowerfulandinspired thatheoften Many ofhisstudentslatersaidthatdelivery oratory surpassedhiswritingsinexcellence. and acquaintancesmaintainthatasateacher, his science intoIndianphilosophy. Yet, hisstudents as tosaythatKaviraj’s workinfused modern extremely rationalmind.Somehavegoneasfar Vishwanath. him thetitleSachalaVishwanath orLiving because hewasasadhak.Thesequalitiesearned scholarship—they were partofhisverybeing spirituality isnotonlyconfinedtohis His questforReality, theUltimateTruth and supplemented strongly byperceived experience. scholar. Histheoretical knowledgewas Kaviraj specialwasthathenotmerely a his lifetowork.Butthequalitythatmade had littleinterest inthingsmaterial.Hedevoted increasingly interested init. Vishuddhananda Paramhans andbecame activities. HewasinitiatedintoYog bySwami continue hisspiritualquestandacademic Principal ofGovernmentSanskritCollegeto on thesubject.Kaviraj steppeddownasthe theology onAkhandaManhayogisamasterpiece College, Benares withIntroduction. His Catalogue ofMimamsaManuscriptsinSanskrit Benares during1918-1919andADescriptive Manuscripts Acquired fortheSanskritCollege, also compiledACatalogueofSanskrit Vishuddhananda Prasanga, Tantric Sadhna.He His writingsreflect theprecision ofan His penurywhileastudentensured thathe National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts awarded thetitleofMahamahopadhayaby and whatwouldtheworlddowithit?Hewas saying thattheywere forhispersonalreference to anyqueriesregarding theirpublicationby him inmanuscripts,foryears.Hewouldrespond works. Manyofhisworksaccumulatedaround he wasindifferent tothepublicationofhis philosopher, contrarytowhatonemightexpect, beauty ofphilosophicalthought. through which theycouldunderstandthetrue unknown territoryandgaintheconfidence students. Heinspired themtoventure into the manyexamplesofhowKaviraj guidedhis understand andenjoythetext.Thisisjustoneof myself!” Hewasamazedathisownabilityto working onthetext,herecalls, “Idiscovered new textonhisown.However, ashebegan not familiarwiththetextandhadneverread a any punctuation.Moreover, Bhattacharyawas whole workwasacontinuousnarrationwithout question ofillusion.Printed inoldstyle,the to findoutinaday, thepointsdealingwith Saamkhya Philosophytext).Hewasinstructed Saamkhya Pravacana Bhasya(acommentaryofa Kaviraj gavehimthree hundred loosesheetsof remembers hisfirstmeetingwithhimwhere From whatisknownaboutthegreat
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Page 11 Surveys attheNationalMissionforManuscripts. Kanika Singh 1976. the lastsevenyearsoflifetillhepassedawayin later byMaAnandamayiinwhosecare helived Varanasi deathand helooked afterthelatter’s Vishuddhananda Paramhans whoseashramin was firstinfluencedbyhisguru,Swami sadhana. Deeplyinterested inmysticism,Kaviraj alongside researching thepracticalaspectsof he becameinvolvedinhisspiritualquest Gopinath Kaviraj. of gratitudeforsupportingthegenius his academiccareer. To themIndiaowesadebt his relatives andteachershelped himpursue tragedies. Theencouragementandsupportof endeavours were neveraffectedbyhispersonal health suffered much.Andyethisscholarly wife. Hissondiedearlyaswellandhisown married attheageofthirteenandoutlivedhis father diedbefore hewasborn.He ceased tillthelast. But hisworkandphilosophicalreflection never Sanskrit Visvavidyalaya between1964and1969. Department atthenewlystartedVaranaseya the HeadofDepartmentYoga-Tantra He spentthelastyearsofhisprofessional lifeas he refused theVice–Chancellorship ofthesame. post ofPrincipal ofGovernmentCollege.Later, allocades. Hetookvoluntaryretirement from the universities, butheremained unaffectedbythe He washonoured bymanyinstitutionsand Vibhushan in1964bytheGovernmentofIndia. British in1934andreceived thePadma Gopinath Kaviraj Mahamahopadhayaya Renowned forhisdeepspiritualattainment, He suffered muchtragedyinhislife.His is anAssistantCo-ordinatorfor
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12/5/06 A.D. Prussian blue –wasonlyinventedaround 1700 the mostcommontypeofinknowused– common useevenbefore theeighteenthcentury, and elsewhere. Whileindigohadbeenin different typesofstoneswasprevalent inIndia from inorganic substancesfoundintheearthand the birthofChrist,makingcoloured mixtures link thegenesisofink.Therefore, evenbefore mixtures, fortycenturiesormore ago, wemay for thispurpose.With theadventofthese not difficulttoprepare black/coloured mixtures marking thereed andtheuseofbrushes.Itwas and necessitatedtheuseofsomematerialfor beyond theageofstoneinscriptions/claytablet writing whenthepracticeofarthadadvanced antiseptics, etc. elements suchasthickeners, fragrances, of whetherthere alsoexistwithinitother agent). Theseare fixed componentsirrespective support andwhichmayreplace thebinding chemical substancewhichfixes theinkto and bindsittothesupport)amordant (a (which holdstheparticlesofpigmenttogether is dissolvedordispersed),abindingagent ink), asolvent(amediuminwhichthepigment colouring matter(pigmentswhichcolourthe it musthavecertainbasiccomponents:a technical aspect,foraninktofulfillitsfunction render eitheranimageorsometext.From a and/or dyesusedforcolouringasurfaceto defined asaliquidcontainingvariouspigments associate inkonlywithwriting,itisactually consideration. elements ofamanuscriptanddeservesdue However, inkisoneofthemostimportant ink thatisusedtowriteorillustrateit. hardly give amoment’sthoughttothetypeof Most people,whentheylookatmanuscripts, Neeraja Gopi The StoryofInk
5:23 While itisnowacommonperception to The originofinkfollowstheinvention PM
Page 12 sometimes added. charcoal orsootwithwater, towhichgumwas years, itwasasimplemixture ofpowdered continuing periodofmore thantwothousand prepared forritualisticpurposesanda Deyo appear tobeused.TheHebrew word forinkis years before writinginksofthatcolouractually that blueinkswere potentiallypossibleformany Regional originsofInk were obtainedby a process ofsemi-combustion and were perhaps thefirsttobeused.These Chemical CompositionofInk reddish ripeseed,havingavioletcolour). Kamrup, wasderivedfrom Puroi (akindof Gita’ ‘Lasoluwa’. Thered colourofthe a goldencolour. Thispracticewasknownas mixed withred andyellowpigmentstoproduce was inuseforalongtime.Lac(sealingwax) hand. grinder’s gently rounded tofitcomfortablyinthe was flatonthebottomside,whiletop was usedtogrindagainsttheslab.Themuller this process. Asmallerstone,knownasamuller, porphyry, granite,andmarblewere allused in pigment wasground onastoneslab.Egyptian pieces. To grindtheparticlesevenfiner, the were usedinthefirststeptobreak upthelarge ground finetomake ink.Mortarsandpestles used instickformfordrawingorcouldbe from theyoungshootsofgrapevinescouldbe be addedwhenwantedforuse.Charcoal made into smallwafersorcakes towhichwatercould commingled withgumandhoneypressed the burningofoil,tarorrosin, whichwasthen was more complex.Lampblackwasfirstmadeby If welookcloserintothehistoryofink,find Carbon basedinksare amongtheoldest ofinks The Arabianmethodofmakingink( In Assamtocreate whitecolour, chalk(dhal) , socalledforitsblackness.Primitively , whichispreserved atRampur villagein National Mission forManuscripts ‘Bhagavada alchiber ) final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts potassium inminutequantities isaddedtoit.If away unlessbichromate ofammonium or manufactured there. Thisinkiseasilywashed some reed tothe‘rice’paperthatis In Chinaitisappliedwithabrushorpithof skin andmusktoimprove theodourofoil. lamps, mixed withtheisinglass(gelatin)ofasses’ produced bythesmoke ofpinesandtheoilin hieroglyphics. Thiswasobtainedfrom soot ostensibly forblackening thesurfaceofraised perfected thismethodandinvented‘IndianInk’, years before theChristianera,Chinese first oneusedintheearliesttimes.About1200 class discussedabove,andinsomeform,wasthe commercial purposes.Itbelongs tothecarbon for drawingandengrossing thanitisfor and latertimesas‘IndianInk’isnowusedmore formerly knownbytheancientsandinclassical adverse effectonthematerialwrittenupon. characteristic –itispermanentandhasno reason foritspopularitywasmostimportant ancient Egypt,ChinaandIndia,perhaps the allowed todry. Carbonbasedinkswere used in Occasionally itwasmouldedintosticksand colour variedfrom darkbrown toblue-black. quality inkwasmadefrom lampblack.The varnish medium.Infact,muchofthebest charcoal/soot suspendedinagum/glueor in water. Carboninksare usuallymadefrom of organic materials,whichwere thendispersed Use ofmetallicinkswithgold,silverandcopperinafoliofrom India ink , sometimesalsocalledChinaink,or
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Page 13 Vinaya of acid.Theacidismixed withhydrochloric or oxidation ofiron-gall inkleadstothe formation the inkfixes itselfpermanentlyonpaper. This even afterithasbeenusedtowriteonpaperand colour develops.Theoxidationofinkcontinues oxidation takes placeandgraduallyablue-black colour andcannotbeused,butwithtime, leaves. Whenfreshly made,theinkhasverylittle ( The othersources oftanninare barkofacacia with gallsolution,itisknownasiron-gall ink. As theinkisprepared bythereaction ofiron and finallymixed withwatertoformgallicacid. trees were crushedtoobtaingallotannicacid gall ink.To make iron-gall ink,gallsfrom oak Leonardo daVinci wrote hisnotesusingiron- history. Ithasbeenanalysedandproved that gall inkisthemostimportantinWestern fluid becausetheywere easier tohandle.Iron- in themiddleagesasgeneralwritingink a fixative.Iron Tannin inksreplaced carboninks obtained from ametaltowhich acidisaddedas manuscripts andare characterisedbytheircolour, according tothequantityofwatermixed withit. purposes andwillgiveanydegree ofblackness also possessesgreat advantagesfordrawing chemical orotherwise.Sinceitactsaspaint, insoluble andcannotberemoved withanyfluid, this gummycompoundwillberendered the paperisexposedtosunlightforashorttime, Babool Metallo-acid inks , aBuddhisttextfromKargonGompa,Ladakh. ), chestnutwoodandbark,some are verycommonin
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12/5/06 black onoxidation. ink whichturnstheinitialbluewritingto usually ofbluecolour, isaddedtotheiron-gall has anadverseeffectonpaper. Oftenadye, sulphuric acidtotheinkimprove itsflowbut luster. black border, inadditionto apeculiarmetallic for thelineshavedarkouter edges,like a can beidentifiedbymicroscopic examination, Many nigrosine inks(bothblackandblue) create asuspensionratherthansolution. obtained bydissolvingnigrosine inwaterto coal tardyederivative.Thisinkisastrain inks wastheintroduction of having theinkrun. soluble andthepapercanbewashedwithout water. Theearlybluesare notparticularlywater- parts toonepartoxalicacidanddissolvedin inks. For example,Prussian blueismixed eight iron oftheferro gallicinks.Blueinksare acid vanadium inks away andtested.Thisalsoholdstruefor paper isaffected,oraflake of inkcanbescraped can beusedsothatonlyatinyportionofthe A pipettewithonlyaverysmallamountofacid while logwoodyieldsared or purple-red color. gall inkanimmediateblueorblue-green reaction hydrochloric acidsolutionthatgivestheiron- identified andseparatedbyuseofa5% look thesame.However, theycanbereadily copying ink. years suchlogwoodinkswere thestandard being acidic,theycouldcorrode pens.For many inks uselesslogwoodandwere cheaper, but preferred butthelatterusedmore often.These with copperoriron sulphate,withtheformer smearing orspreading. freely. Oncedry, theycouldbewettedwithout blue-black. Theywere non-corrosive andflowed logwood. Thebestlogwoodinkswere anintense use. Someoftheearlyvioletinkscamefrom logwood inkswere amongthemostpopularin alsoyieldedtannin,andatonetime Logwood of metalsaltsforobtainingthedesired colour. the Campeachytree andcombinedwithavariety inks
5:23 There are alsootherinkssuchas The nextmajordevelopmentinblue-black Matured logwoodandiron-gall inksboth Commercially, logwoodinkswere produced , madebyboilingtheroots andbranchesof PM
Page 14 where thiselementreplaces the nigrosine ink logwood , a there are aconsiderablevariety. suggests milkyjuicesofcertainplantswhich rubbing ashesuponitorahotiron. Pliny which whendriedmayberendered visibleby wrong persons theyshouldwritewithnewmilk, make their correspondence unreadable tothe Roman wivesandmaidensthatiftheyintendto producing these.Ovidindiscreetly advised scholars were acquaintedwithseveralmodesof multiplied aschemistryprogressed. Theancient The numbersofthiskindwere fewbuthave some chemicalaffinitywiththeprevious one. made visiblebyusinganotherliquid,whichhas be firststeepedinaliquidandthewritingonly To furtheraidtheobjectinview, thepapermay operation like warmingorexposingtosunlight. the writingissubjectedtoasubsequent Section ofNMM. Neeraja Gopi manuscripts scattered across theworld. preserve theheritageinked inthemillionsof important tooltounderstandinorder to fascinating one,andforconservationistsamost them. difficult tospecifythecomponentsmixed in according totheirownformulaanditis inventions, inkmanufacturers produce ink cationic inwaterorethyleneglycol.With new on paper. Itisnowprepared byanionicand oil basedcarboninkswere usedtofixaseal is usedtostampasealonpaper. Inearlierdays, base. Stampinginkisanothertypeofand prepared withpigmentsmixed inavarnish less solublethannormalwritinginks.Theyare solutions like oleicacidoracidicresins. are prepared bymixingbasicdyesinfattyacid implement istheballpointpen.Inksofsuchpens pen. Today, themostpopulartypeofwriting added toprotect themetalcomponentsof moisture. Organic corrosion inhibitorsare also humectants, whichpromote retention of pen inkscontainseveralothersubstanceslike classification of available inthemarket thatcomeunderthe Secret orsympatheticinks Current Inks, As wehaveseen,thestoryofinkisa Printing inksare more viscous,denseand is aConservatorintheConservation modern inks National Mission forManuscripts at present manyinksare . Modernfountain are invisible till final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts Research Institute,Mysorein1908 and editedforthefirsttimebyDr. ofOriental Shamashastry interesting tonotethatthisre-orientation of Oriental Research Institutein1916.Itis University ofMysore andre-baptised asthe Education, itwassubsequentlymerged withthe initially affiliatedwiththeDepartmentof accession totheimperialthrone. Whileitwas the GoldenjubileeyearofQueenVictoria’s the JubileeHallbuiltin1887tocommemorate Government OrientalLibrary. Itwashousedin renowned institutewasoriginallynamedthe Maharaja oftheerstwhileStateMysore, this Chamaraja Wodeyar Bahaddur, thethen form ofmanuscripts.Establishedin1891bySri preserved formore thanahundred yearsinthe traditions andknowledgesystemshavebeen Mysore is arepository where theancientIndian of India,theOrientalResearch Instituteof Standing tallamongstthemanyheritagecenters Origin oftheInstitute The completemanuscriptof Dr. H.R.NagarajaSharma Mysore Oriental Research Institute, Institution inFocus
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Page was discovered 15 the mostpopularpublished worksare Kautilya’s have beenpublishedbythe Institute. Among more thantwohundred rare anduniqueworks Institute –collection,research andpublication – As apartofthethree importantactivitiesof the those onpalmleafandpaper. collection andresearch ofmanuscripts,including Institute hasbeenfocusinglargely onthe promoting specialization,theOrientalResearch In recent decades,withtheintentionof Focus onResearch thousand titlesofimportantliteraryworks. section hasacollectionofmore thanthree contribution from theFord Foundation. This since 1954,establishedwiththegenerous The libraryhasalsohousedamicrofilm section thousand rare printedbooksonvarioussubjects. Institute hasacollectionofmore thanthirty In additiontotheoriginalmanuscripts, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil andsoon. scripts, like Devanagari,Nandinagari,Grantha, Sanskrit languagemanuscriptswritteninvarious collection asitstandstoday, consistslargely of University ofMysore. Therefore, theORI of Kannada Studies,alsoabranchofthe manuscripts were shiftedtoKuvempu Institute and more thantenthousandKannada However, in1966thecollectionwasbifurcated in languagesfrom DevanagaritoKannada. widely variedcollectionofmanuscriptsranging Mysore. Untilthe1960s,institutehada of bundlesmanuscriptsonbehalfORI, around Karnataka havebeencollectingthousands For more thanacenturynow, scholarsinand Nature oftheORICollection inscriptions, palmleafandpapermanuscripts. such itemsasancientcopperplates,stone The Institute’scollection,post1916,included perspective on‘orientalstudies’atORI,Mysore. sorts involvedthedevelopmentofawider
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12/5/06 ‘Shakthi Nidhi’ Lahari’ ‘Arthashastra’ civil law and governance civil lawandgovernance Arthashastra programmes outlinedabove,ORIhas also Apart from theinstitutionalizedacademic Public OutreachProgrammes Library onthewebwithdigitalindexfacility. project toupgradetheInstituteanElectronic enhancement. Plansforthefuture includea connection withimagerestoration and carried outsuccessfullyatORI’slabin the world.Manydigitalexperimentshavebeen dissemination ofinformationtoscholarsacross collection. Thiswillfacilitatethesupplyand digitizing themostprecious manuscriptsofits it hasinitiatedtheprocess ofscanningand under theguidanceofUniversityMysore ancient wisdomandnewtechnology. Therefore, itself asasignificantmeetingpointbetween This centuryoldInstitutionisalsodesigning Focus onDigitization published sofar. eighteen volumesofthisjournalhavebeen from learnedIndianandforeign scholars and called ‘Mysore Orientalist’containingarticles libraries. ORIalsobringsoutitsownjournal in eighteenvolumes,isalsodemandbymany manuscripts collectionoftheInstitutepublished public alike. CatalogusCatalogorum,thelistof which are ingreat demandbyscholarsandthe
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Page is a work on Indian politics, economics, military science,businessmanagement,administration, is aworkonIndianpolitics,economics,military , Shankaracharya’s 16 , ‘Vishnunidhi’ and ‘Soundarya ‘Shivanidhi’ and enhancetheirinteractions withtheSanskrit eminent scientistsasVisiting Fellows toORI primary objectiveoftheNCHS istoinvite equipped digitallabandaseminarhall.The building forNCHSwhichwillincludeawell- fund ismeantforputtingupastate-of-the-art programme in2002.Apartofthesesubstantial of ORIandmadeagenerous granttowards this Centre forHistoryofScience(NCHS)asapart Commission (UGC)establishedtheNational collection oftheORI,UniversityGrants Plant ScienceandGemologyetc.,availableinthe Mathematics, Ayurveda, Veterinary Science, scientific subjects,suchasAstronomy, In viewofthelarge numberofmanuscriptson New Initiatives created amongthegeneralpublic. media through whichawareness continuestobe evolutionary process ofwritingare somepopular manuscripts alongwithexhibitsonthe Arthashatra’ heldin2002.Exhibitionsofrare the Internationalsymposiumon‘Kautilya’s Archaeology heldin2000and andEpigraphy’, importance ofSanskritsources inthestudyof have beentheNationalSeminaron‘the the past,amongmostimportantofthese international seminarsonimportanttopics.In from thelocalawareness campaignsto seminars andconferences. Theseattemptsvary initiated publicawareness effortssuchas National Mission forManuscripts final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts Extra care towards theconservationof to ridthemofdestructiveorganic elements. where thecontaminatedmanuscripts are filtered is alsoequippedwithtwoFumigation Chambers primary tasksfortheconservators.TheInstitute Therefore, periodicalcleaningandoilingare the minimum concernontheconservationfront. manuscripts overalongperiodandwarrants sports great conditionsforthepreservation of Mysore, with itstemperateclimate,usually Activities Conservation being carriedout. microfilming oftheentire collectionofORIis Centre for theArts(IGNCA),wherein is created; andtheIndiraGandhiNational conducted andawareness amonggeneralpublic which thesurveyofmanuscriptsisbeing the NationalMissionforManuscripts,through like servingasaManuscriptResource Centre for systems. editions ofworksonIndianscienceknowledge scholars oftheORIforbringingoutcritical Library, OrientalReasearchInstitute,Mysore ORI isalsoaplatformforfewotherprojects
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Page 17 Coordinator, MRC, Mysore. Sharma Dr. Nagaraja H.R. Phone no. -0821-2423136/7 e-mail [email protected] Mysore-5 Kautilya Circle, (oppositeCrawford Hall), The Director, OrientalResearch Institute, Mysore, pleasenotethefollowingdetails Hoysalas. ruined templeofHalebid,thecapitalcity back eighthundred years,brought from the It hassomebeautifulHoysalasculptures dating structure alsohassomequaintHindufeatures. enough, thisotherwiseclassicalEuropean the heritagebuildingsofcity. Interestingly city ofMysore, andhasbeenidentifiedasoneof ORI isoneoftheoldestbuildingsinroyal manuscripts andtheworkbeingdoneonthem, unit ofNMMKarnataka. collection isbeingproposed byICPAC/INTAC For thoseinterested incontactingORI, Apart from itsmonumentalcollectionof is Project
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culture, philosophy, religion, artandscience. It ways. of allknowledgeandtriestoprove itinvarious Kumudendu declares R Bhutbali. ThoughaDigambaraJain, down toPrabhavasena, Dharasenaand Dravyanga Sakha,Ikshvakudynastycarrying Senagana, JnataVamsa, Saddharmagotra, Dhavala Tika’ – thecelebratedauthorsof Talakad, andadiscipleof Virasena andJinasena Rashtrakuta AmoghavarshaandGangasof calls himselftheteacherof The authorKumudendu body ofitstext. languages withinthe five different Bhagavadgita in the original stanzas) and sixty eight hundred and three thousand in ten Mahabharata of the original nucleus Vyasa (the ‘Jayakhyana’ is alsosaidtohavethe and scienceofthetime.It kalas (arts),infactallthearts philosophical systemsandsixtyfour languages andincludethree hundred sixtythree claims tobereadable insevenhundred eighteen mathematical andphoneticalformulae Bhuvalaya issaidtobecomposedaccording to Kumudendu, aDigambarasaint.Siri 10th centuryA.D.andattributedto Kannada believedtobecomposedearlierthan Siri Bhuvalaya Focus onText: SiriBhuvalaya 5:24 Siri Bhuvalaya PM
Page of 18 . Hebelongstothelineof is anextraordinary workin is acompendiumofIndian . gveda tobethesource ‘Dhavala’ and ‘Jaya Vikasa-Pratishthanam, Mysore Lakshmithathachar Write uponthetextby composition format. Bhuvalaya worldview ofthe10thcenturyA.D., both positivescienceandIndiansymbolic Clearly animportantworkfrom theaspectsof seven Ayurvedic systemsthatexistedinIndia. iconography andpainting. texts belongingtodifferent Ayurvedic and important Jaintexts.Italsocontainsoriginal Vedic school,Brahmanas,Upanishads and contain almostallthecanonicalliterature ofthe remaining volumes.Thefirstfourvolumes which, ‘MangalaPrabhrta’, isanepitomeofthe divided intonineparts(volumes),thefirstof contains sixmillionversesinKannada andis Kumudendu mentioned more than twenty arts like architecture, sculpture, Veterinary systems.Inthethird and is alsoimportantforitscoded source forthehistoryoffine National Mission forManuscripts fourth volumesKumudendu , Director, Veda-Vijnana- also aninexhaustible Dr. M.A. deals withIndian soul. Positive Scienceslike liberation ofthe physics, chemistry, theory and Siri Bhuvalaya alchemy, bio- with Karma chemistry, volumes deal biology, four botony, The last zoology, science etc. astronomy, space Siri is final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts Manuscripts” soughttoaddress theurgent need on themisnotreadily available. scattered alloverthecountry, andinformation and tribaltraditions.However, theyare presently the richresource ofmedicalpracticesinthefolk Ayurveda, Siddha,Unani,Swa-ri-paaswell cover different traditionsofmedicinesuchas and withindividualsasprivatecollections.They institutions, museums,templesandmonasteries abroad indifferent libraries,academic scripts, are spread alloverthecountry and composed indifferent Indianlanguagesand healing principlesandpractices.Thesetexts, knowledge, concernedwithgoodhealth,disease, sizeable portionofmanuscriptsare onmedical back tothousandsofyears.Amongthese,a belonging todifferent periodsofhistory, going of ancientknowledgecontainedinmanuscripts India istherepository ofanastoundingwealth Bangalore, 5-6October, 2005 HealthTraditionsLocal (FRLHT) and theFoundation fortheRevitalization of National MissionforManuscripts(NMM) Manuscripts” jointlyorganizedbythe National Seminaron“SavingIndia’sMedical Sudha Gopalakrishnan Medicine Tracing Manuscriptson The seminaron“SavingIndia’sMedical
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Page 19 each field.Prof. S.Prema from Tamil University different systemsofmedicinebyexpertsfrom of theirowncollections.There were overviewsof repositories elaboratedonthesignificanceofeach country. Therepresentatives ofdifferent manuscripts centres from different partsofthe seventy fiveparticipantsrepresenting thirtynine manuscripts ofIndia. compiling informationonthemedical together theinstitutionsworkinginthatarea for University ofMadrasstressed theneedtobring Prof. Thyagarajan,Vice Chancellorofthe rudraksha tree inFRLHTtomarktheoccasion. through thesafeguarding oftexts.Heplanteda revitalization ofthemedicalheritageIndia of NMMandFRLHTintakingupthe the GovernorofKarnataka appreciated theefforts manuscripts ofIndia. the resuscitation oftherichheritagemedical and interested laypersons,tofurtherthecauseof repositories, libraryprofessionals, conservators practitioners, experts,scholars,holdersof seminar brought togetheragroup of information availabletofuture generations.The of India’smanuscriptsonmedicine,tomake the to locate,classifyandcataloguetherichwealth The seminarwasattendedbymore than Inaugurating theevent,Dr. T.N. Chaturvedi,
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12/5/06 manuscripts abroad mayexceed fiftythousand! not gobeyondafewthousands,whiletheIndian medicine inEurope andUSA puttogetherwill entire collection ofnon-Indianmanuscriptson extent oftheIndiancollections,hesaidthat and privatelibraries.Elaboratingonthesheer manuscripts inEurope andUSA, inbothpublic Institute, U.K.,spoke onIndianmedical Wujastyk, SeniorResearch Fellow, Wellcom manuscripts from timetotime.Dr. Dominik wrong interpretation andcopyingofthe entered textswhilecriticalediting,through talked about thevariousdiscrepancies thathave through manuscripts. Prof. K.C.Chunekar presentation ontheTibetan systemofmedicine manuscripts, whileDr. Pema Dorjeemadea detailed thehistoryandevaluationofSiddha
Quiz 10. Inwhichlanguageare thelargest number ofIndianmanuscriptsavailabletoustoday? Howdowebetterknowtheroot copyofatextfrom whichscribessubsequentlycopyand 9. WhatistheIndian termforcolophon? 8. .Inwhosepossessionistheonlyknownillustratedmanuscriptof the 7. Howdowebetterknowthemanuscriptsthatusedalluppercase letters,datingfrom the3rd 6. Bywhatnamedowerefer tothescienceofwritinginscriptions? 5. Howmanytypes ofscriptsdoesthe 4. Nametheperson whofirstdeciphered theBrahmiscriptand 3. Whatistheterm usedfor 2. Bywhatnamedo weknowthemetallictoolthatisusedtocarve 1. 5:24 prepare newmanuscriptcopies? to 8thcenturiesAD,andwrittenbyLatinGreek scribes? exposition ofscriptsinIndia? year inwhichhedidso. permission oftheauthor? manuscript thatiswrittenbytheauthororunder describing theoriginal letters onthesurfaceofpalmleaves? PM
Page 20 Lalitavistara Mission forManuscripts. by FRLHTwiththesponsorshipofNational cataloguing ofmedicalmanuscriptswasinitiated the formatprovided byNMM. compiled onthemedicalmanuscriptsinIndia and practitionersacomprehensive catalogue established betweenallconcernedinstitutions It wasdecidedthatanetworkwouldbe documentation andconservationofmanuscripts. and infrastructural—fortheproper expressed theirneeds—academic,institutional different disciplines,regions, repositories manuscripts. Theparticipantsrepresenting documenting andconservingthemedical concerted actionplanforidentifying, As afollow-uptotheseminar, aproject for The seminarwasdirected towards makinga mention inits National Mission forManuscripts Padshahnama on thefontispieceof A shamsa(imageofthesun) Padshahnama Answers onpage24 ? final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts Sciences, Lexicons, PhilosophyandBiographical Sciences, Lexicons, Mathematics, Literature, Prosody, Grammar, relate tosecularsubjects like History, Geography, Mysticism). However, alarger numberoftexts Exegesis, CommentariesandSufism(Islamic Hadees (traditionsoftheHolyProphet), in theIslamictraditionfollowedbybookson isthemostcommonlycopiedtext Holy Qur’an intrinsic componentoftheIslamicheritage.The Association establishment oftheIslamicManuscript digitisation andtookthefirststeptowards the cataloguing, accessibility, copyrightand conference focusedonissues ofconservation, manuscripts around theworld.Discussionsat largest andmostimportantcollectionsofIslamic exceptional gatheringofrepresentatives from the Dr. ImtiazAhmad Copyright andDigitisation Conservation, Cataloguing,Accessibility, Conference 2005 The IslamicManuscript Heritage Watch Manuscripts constituteanimportantand
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5:24 PM Conference wasan Cambridge, the University of Studies atthe Eastern andIslamic Centre ofMiddle association withthe Foundation in Islamicus Thesaurus Hosted bythe of Cambridge. College, University 2005 atKing’s 4th and6thJuly was heldbetween Conference 2005 Manuscript The Islamic
Page 21 destruction ofIslamicmanuscripts instrife-torn mishandling bypeople.The large-scale ravages oftime,thevagaries ofnature aswell condition. Theyare likely tosufferfrom the of fundingrends theminapoordeteriorating manuscripts isawell-kept secret andoften,lack catalogues, theveryexistenceofmanythese repositories. Intheabsenceofcomprehensive and America,inbothprivatepublic over thefourcontinentsofAsia,Africa,Europe manuscripts isnowspread, forthemostpart, Western India,animmenselyrichcorpusof the IslamicWorld isfrom NorthernAfricato to Shikast. (mainly forPersian, Urdu, PushtoandPunjabi) and Naskh(mainlyforArabic),Nastaliq Islamic manuscriptsvaryfrom Suls,Kufic Urdu, PushtoandPunjabi.Thescriptsusedin languages, notablyArabic,Persian, Turkish, manuscripts thatare foundindifferent paintings ofvariouskindsadornedIslamic In duecourse,largely under Persian influence, ornamental designsbeingusedinmanuscripts. find largely geometricalpatternsorotherpurely to notethatintheearlycenturiesofIslamwe the Arabstomedievalworld.Itisinteresting Paper wasthemostimportantcontributionof to adornlarge geometricalandfloraldesigns. decoration usinggold,silverandnaturalcolours coupled withvarioustechniquesofbook- refined and ornamentalstyleofcalligraphy, attained itshighestefflorescence, developeda Memoirs. in theformofTravelogues, Diariesand Works (somerelating toreligious personalities) Though theoriginofwritingtraditionin The Arabs,underwhomIslamicculture
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12/5/06 promote conservationanddigitization. The cataloguing, accessandcharges, aswell as standardization ofIslamicmanuscript members wouldworktowards theeventual creation ofaninternationalbodywhose country alone. 6,50,000 manuscriptsinthree statesofthe of 37,000newrepositories andlocationofabout know thattheseeffortshadledtothediscovery brought tonoticeandparticipantswere happyto recently conductedsurveys by NMMwere also than inmostothercountries.Theresults ofthe variety ofmanuscriptsinIndiaismuchlarger heritage, evenmore sosincethenumberand preservation andprotection ofthewritten the care andconcerndisplayed forthe Manuscripts. Thedelegateswarmlyappreciated magnitude oftheNationalMissionfor operation aprogramme onthelinesand at theConference thatnoothercountryhadin National MissionforManuscripts.Itwasnoted Manuscript Resource Centers(MRCs) forthe the Rampur Raza Library, Rampur, both Library, Patna andDr. W.H.Siddiqui, Director, Director, theKhudaBakhshOrientalPublic 7. Manuscripts andManuscriptLibrariesinthe 6. Manuscripts andManuscriptLibrariesin 5. MultimediaPublishing Manuscripts andManuscriptLibrariesinEgypt 4. 3. ManuscriptsandDigitalLibrary Manuscript andLibrariesinTurkey2. 1. ManuscriptandLibrariesinIndia were divided intosevenpanels: institutions attendedtheConference. Discussions Forty delegatesrepresenting 17countriesand30 codicology andtextualcriticism. accessible, aswelloffernewtoolsfor conservation ofmanuscriptmakingthemmore how moderntechnologiescouldassistinthe Conference addressed theseissuesandexplored serious problems ofaccessforscholars.The catalogued theirrarityandfragilitypresents persist inthisrespect. Bosnia isarecent exampleofthethreats that
5:24 United Kingdom Continental Europe The ultimateaimoftheconference wasthe Even whenmanuscriptsare well-preserved and India wasrepresented byDr. ImtiazAhmad, PM
Page 22 Oriental Public Library, Patna. Dr. ImtiazAhmad Turkey. Conference istobeheldin2006atIstanbul, successful projects already inprogress. solutions, aswellprovide informationabout opportunity topropose innovativeideasand scholars withaplatformfordebateandan the Associationwillprovide librariansand goals. Anewscholarlyjournaltobepublishedby assessing current difficultiesandsettingfuture solve, butthisconference wasthefirststepin undoubtedly great andwilltake manyyearsto has beenformedforthispurpose. Manuscript Associationandasteeringcommittee advocating theestablishmentofanIslamic conference participantswere unanimousin Oriental PublicLibrary, Patna A foliofromanillustratedIslamicmanuscript,KhudaBakhsh The nextsessionoftheIslamicManuscript The problems facinglibrariesandscholarsare National Mission forManuscripts is Director, Khuda Bakhsh final newsletter.qxd National Mission forManuscripts may embodythewisdomofbygoneagesand Ain-i-akbari set thetoneforlecture byreading from the pronunciations ontheperiod.Dr. NajafHaider, manuscripts thathaveledtoinaccurateacademic misinterpretations andmisprintsofdatafrom substantiated thisappealwithexamplesseveral the availabilityofcriticaleditions.Prof. Moosvi going backtotheoriginalmanuscriptsdespite on theimportanceofwrittenword and by religion andattitudetowards subjects.Chaired debates onthenature oftheMughalstate, actual manuscripts,Shealsoreopened many extracts from worksofthetimeandimages audience tothecourtofEmperor Akbarthrough Prof. ShireenMoosvi Fazl’ Written Word: TheWork andVision ofAbul Prof. ShreenMoosvi 28th July: Summary ofEvents Dr. NajafHaider In herlecture titled , where AbulFazl says,“theword
12/5/06 , thelecture wasprefaced
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Page ‘Reality andthe 23 Dr. SubasPaniandProf.KapilKapoor the Mantrasof ‘Tradition andSpirituality: AnExplorationof 25th August: DrSubasPani’s keepsake ofthosethathavegoneby”. becomes ameanstointellectualprogress… a rendition ofthemantras ofthe exploration oftheOrissamanuscripts andthe the audience’sexperiencethrough an visual pictorial depictionandDr. Pani greatly enriched mantras andverses.Thisnaturallylentitselfto through himandemerge intheformofpowerful Jayadeva allowsthisnewconsciousnesstopass ritual). Hence,through the temple wasrunlike apalacewithelaborate surrender anddevotion(thoughtheJagannath the kernel ofthisnewbeliefsystemwassimple part ofthisnewprocess. According toDr. Pani the loverandobjectofdevotionRadha wasa depicted asChaturbhujVishnu) withKrishnaas identification oftheVedic god(traditionally Jagannath Temple in1142A.D.This enactment attheconsecrationofPuri this process, thetextitselfperhaps seeingitsfirst and his the 12thcenturyandexplainedhowJayadeva chronicled theKrishna-isation ofJagannathin Orissa atthetimeof historical contextandspiritualatmosphere in Gita Govinda Gita Govinda were anintrinsicpartof Gita Govinda Gita Govinda ’ explored the Gita Govinda lecture on . He , .
23 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 Tattvabodha lecture series, Manuscripts hostsa National Missionfor newsletter.qxd 24
Kriti Rakshana ,
12/5/06 Artificial Intelligence,Robotics, Machine Knowledge Engineering,Speech Technology, information retrieval, KnowledgeStructuring, through variousways.Developingtoolsfor for thedevelopmentofInformationTechnology Manuscriptology. Similarly, Sanskritcanbeuseful ‘Tarkasangraha’ to getverbalforms,programs on utilized inthefieldofSanskritthrough programs other. HelistedthewaysinwhichITcouldbe both complimentaryandsupplementarytoeach Sanskrit andInformationTechnology couldbe Lakshmithathachar alsoelaborateduponhow Technology wasstatedwithexamples.Prof. in thefieldsofPhilosophy, Scienceand contribution phonetics were highlightedandIT’s lexicography inSanskrit,itsgrammarand development oflanguagetechnology. The importance ofSanskritlanguageinthe Sanskrit verses,hefurtherelaboratedonthe IT andculture. Through therecitation ofvarious innovative technologytofurtherthetiesbetween pioneering workbeingdonetodevelop Information Technology’ Foundation presented alecture on currently theDirector oftheSamskriti the Veda Vijnana Vikasa Pratishthanam and Lakshmithathachar 27th October: Prof. M.A. International Centre Annexe, NewDelhi. The Text andtheContext’ University ofWarsaw, spoke on 29th September: Prof. M.K.Byrski Prof. M.K.ByrskiandDr. BharatGupt
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Page 24 teaching packageandin , thefoundingdirector of . Heelucidatedthe at India ‘Natyashastra: ‘Amarakosha’ ‘Sanskrit and , , are eagerlyawaited. on 27November. Theresults ofallthree Surveys Lt Gen(Retd.) AjaiSingh,launched theSurvey November. InAssam,theGovernorof President ofIndiaDr. AbdulKalam on21 Dr. T. Chaturvediandinauguratedbythe on 19NovemberbytheGovernorofKarnataka, Kangla. TheSurveyinKarnataka waslaunched government officialsattheauditoriumin was launchedinImphalon16Octoberbysenior Manipur, Karnataka andAssam The some oftheareas mentioned. Translation andCompression Techniques were 0 Devanagari 10. Archetype 9. Puspika 8. TheRoyal CollectionoftheHouseWindsor, 7. Uncials 6. Epigraphy 5. Sixtyfour 4. JamesPrincep, 1835A.D. 3. Autograph 2. Stylus 1. Answers totheQuiz National Survey UK National Mission forManuscripts was heldrecently in . TheSurvey