SummersofIndia: Palm Leaf Paintings

We have read in history that recording of our expressions whether pictographic, ideographic or alphabetic were first done on mud tablets, walls, engraved on stones or written on animal skins etc.

In India at first the Vedic knowledge was passed on orally for a long time. But later on mud tablets, stones, tree barks, palm leaves animal skins and even cloth was used for recording, transmitting of Vedic Knowledge, sacred texts, epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata, peotry, literature, folklore, local legends, and also for administrative and economic purposes etc. Especially, tree barks and palm leaves were more popular for recording our sacred knowledge. Apart from this, mathematics, astrology, astronomy, art, architecture and knowledge in respect of many other subjects were written on palm leaves.

They also contained paintings of Gods, Goddesses as illustrations for easy understanding and also make it more attractive.

These palm leaves were known as Taala Patras. Taala Patra Grantha(scriptures on palm leaves) and Taala Patra chitras(Paintings on plam leaves)

The exact period as to when this palm leaf writing or painting has started is not clear. However the method of preparing the leaves and writing on it has been handed down generation after generation and is still followed in the same way as it was done during ancient times.

Only the leaves from three types of Palms re suitable and used for writing; Palmyra palm, Fan palm and Dhaka or Tali Palm

The process of writing or painting on palm leaves is lengthy and requires lot of patience. The dried palm leaves were collected and sorted out according to size, shape colour etc. They are then treated with chalk and tamarind. \

However for good quality of leaves which were smooth, soft and durable, half opened leaves were collected from the trees, cut into required sizes and boiled in water. They were dried in the shade, pressed and polished and again cut into even shape. A number of leaves depending on the size of the content were then chosen, holes were made at the center of the leaf or on either side using a hot metal wire.

A string or cord was passed through them and two wooden panels covering these leaves on either side of the bunch and then tied around the bunch. These panels would have beautiful carvings or mother of pearl inlays or were painted and then treated with herbal or mineral oils which were natural insect repellents. This was then tied in a piece of cloth to avoid dust and stored carefully.

Writing on palm leaf require lot of skill, patience and practise. Professionals known as Lipikaara used to write the content. There are two methods of writing. One method was to write with a pen or a brush. The other method, most popular in South India was writing with a metal stylus. In the second method, an incision is made on the leaf with the stylus. Then these grooves were filled with ink or a mixture of charcoal and oil or other herbal material, so that the letters become visible. After the ink sets into the grooves, the excess oil/ink was wiped off with a cloth. In case of paintings, the required areas inside the black outlines were filled with vegetable dyes for giving colour. But mostly the figures were done in black colour.

The details of the painting, the colour scheme, the figures of Gods themselves differ from area to area. In Orissa, Lord Jagannath was the most popular deity. In other parts, it was Lord Rama or Krishna or Vinayaka, Lakshmi etc.

Even writing with stylus was in two ways. One method was where the stylus was held in right hand and the nail of the left thumb (either it had a whole or a groove to hold the stylus) guided the stylus as the leaf was moved while writing. In another method the stylus was moved over the leaf like a pen.

One had to be very careful and concentrated while writing as there was no way for correcting errors and striking off any error would not only look ugly but also waste the space on the leaf.

Here is the link where you can see some palm leaf manuscripts:

http://www.lib.usm.edu/spcol/exhibitions/item_of_the_month/iotm_nov_08.html

The palm leaf manuscripts could be preserved up to 300 years. Once when they started to deteriorate, they were copied onto fresh set of leaves. The old ones were burnt using ghee or thrown into running water bodies like rivers.

Big paintings were broken into sections to fit into each leaf, carefully painted on each leaf section by section with intricate and minute details. The leaves were tied and then spread out to reveal the entire painting.

These days, writing and painting on palm leaves uses both traditional and modern motifs. Here are some paintings on palm leaves:

In the above you can see that a number of leaves have been used to draw the painting. It shows an elephant on which Lord Krishna is sitting playing his flute. See carefully, the elephant is made of Gopis-belonging to cowherd community who loved Krishna a lot. See how cleverly and beautifully the artist has drawn the piece. The tail of the elephant is in fact the braid of a lady adorned with hair accessories.

These are book marks. in the first one it is Ardha Narishwara-meaning half man and half woman. It is Lord Shiva who has merged his consort Parvathi(or Skathi) onto his left side. It symbolises, man woman or husband and wife. With out a man there is no woman and with out a woman there is no man. Both are equal in the universe.

The second one is Lord Krishna.

just how how minutely and intricately the details have been drawn. this art is centuries old and is carried out even today in the same way.

Hope you like them.