Palm-leaf-manuscript heritage of Orissa

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Palm-leaf-manuscript heritage of Orissa

By Panchanan Agrawalla

 

Orissa boasts of its exquisite and priceless palm-leaf-manuscript-

heritage of textual and illuminating illustrative diction. The

varied palm-leaf manuscripts galore, now found in the collection of

museums and private institutions amply speak of the exuberance and

efflorescence of this great tradition from about 10th century ad, as

is evident from the epigraphic reference to Oriya language and

Kutila scripts found in an inscribed sculpture of Jaina monk—

Kumarasena discovered from Gandhibedha in Balasore district. They

formed the treasure-house of wisdom and knowledge on different

aspects of Orissa: history, culture, artistic and architectural

legacy. Because of the easy availability of palm-leaf in abundance

in Orissa, the palm-leaf-manuscript culture became very popular

through the ages. It also becomes easy to inscribe and engrave

different subject matter with an iron stylus. The Oriya writing, due

to its round and liner shape, facilitated the growth and development

of palm-leaf-manuscripts writing and the tradition even continues

till the present day in the diminishing idiom.

 

Interestingly, the European scholars were greatly attracted to study

the Oriya palm-leaf-manuscript collections during the 19th century.

Rev. J. Long published the first research article in the Jounal of

the Asiatic Society of Bengal and subsequently scholars like Col.

Makenji, Sir John Beams, the then Collector of Balasore, R.L. Mitra,

M.M. Chakravarti, H.P. Shastri and Prof. Macdonel, etc. contributed

significantly to the study and research of palm-leaf-manuscript

tradition of Orissa which threw a flood of new light on the manifold

aspects of variegated and glowing Orissa culture.

 

After Orissa became a separate province in 1936, a series of

serendipities and reconnaissance works were taken up to prepare a

list of palm-leaf manuscripts found preserved under different

agencies through the help of local Pandits. As many as 15 thousand

titles were recorded out of which eleven thousand are now available

in Orissa State Museum. The Education Department, government of

Orissa thereafter, collected a larger variety of palm-leaf

manuscripts with the initiative of Prof. G.S. Dash and Prof. N.

Banerji with the assistance of Prachi Samiti, under the banner of

newly founded Revenshaw College museum. Scholars like Padmashri

Paramananda Acharya, Purna Chandra Rath and Kedarnath Mohapatra

contributed enormously in their official and individual capacity to

the enrichment of palm-leaf-manuscript collection, when the

Ravenshaw College museum was shifted to Bhubaneswar during 1947-48.

Shri P. Acharya, the then Superintendent of Orissa state museum and

K.N. Mohapatra, the then curator, opened a separate section of

manuscripts in the museum. This has now pro-literated into an

institution of international reputation with about fifty thousand

manuscripts compris-ing six sections. Manuscripts have been

classified under 1.Veda, 2. Tantra, 3. Jyotisha, 4. Dharmasastra, 5.

Ayurveda, 6. Ganita, 7. Silpasastra, 8. Sangita, 9. Abhidan, 10.

Vyakarana, 11. Sanskrit Purana, 12. Sanskrit Kavya, 13. Alamkara,

14. Bengali (Sanskrit), 15. Bengali, 16. Devanagari, 17. Oriya

Purana, 18. Oriya Kavya, 19. Oriya Prose, 20. Oriya Historical

Literature, 21. Sanskrit Paper Manuscripts, 22. Oriya Paper

Manuscripts, 23. Arabic Manu-scripts, 24. Darshan Manuscripts, 25.

Telugu Manuscripts, 26. Copied Manuscripts, and 27. Illustrated

Manuscripts.

 

Dr N.K. Sahu organised a palm-leaf-manuscript section in Sambalpur.

This has developed into a palm-leaf-manuscript library of Sambalpur

University which has in its collection manuscripts covering a wide

range of subjects. They are Veda, grammar, Tantra, astronomy,

medicine, religion, philosophy, epics, Puranas, etc. Berhampur

University has also a number of rare collections of manuscripts

including that of renowned poet Upendra Bhanja. Many private

organisations like Raghunandan Library at Puri, Banchhanidhi

Library, Nayagarh, Saintala College, district Bolangir and Veshja

Patel College of Duduka, Sundergarh, Titilagarh College, Titilagarh,

individual collection of Sri Jitamitra Singh Deo, Khariar, Dileswar

Patel of Katapali district, Jharsuguda and Dr M.K. Mishra of

Kalahandi have housed different varieties of palm-leaf manuscripts.

 

Sarala Das, the writer of Mahabharat in Oriya, has contributed a

number of works of eminence like Sapta Kanda Ramayana, Chandi Puran,

Valmiki Ramayan, Mahalaxmi Vrata, etc. These manuscripts are now

found in the collection of state museum. He established Oriya as a

rich language in the 15th century ad. Mahabharata of Krishna Singh,

Purushottam Das, Jagannath Das and Kapileswar Nanda are also some of

the prize collections of the manuscript section. The Madla Panji,

the temple chronicle of Puri, written on palm-leaf, is a storehouse

of knowlege which needs a thorough and separate study. The most

interesting is Kandarpa Rath, illustrated on a bunch of palm-leaves

cut to size and stitched together horizontally in a rectangular

shape. Enchanting and impressive maidens are intricately arranged to

form the chariot with Radha and Krishna in embrace placed at the

centre. Another most important treasure of the section is the Gita

Govinda. The plates are of palm-leaf size and every plate contains

about 17 lines on each sides.

 

Many manuscripts are found uncared for in the villages which are in

state of decay and destruction. They are depositories of our

cultural heritage and should be restored by a popular drive through

various institutions and individuals dedicated to the cause of

saving the extinct palm-leaf-manuscript heritage of Orissa.

 

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