Manuscripts: Concept, Importance and History of manuscripts in Assam

1. MANUSCRIPT:
CONCEPT , IMPORTANCE &
HISTORY OF MANUSRIPT IN
ASSAM
Dr. Utpal Das,
Dibrugarh University
utpalishaan@gmail.com

2. CONCEPT OF MANUSCRIPT

3. Defining Manuscript-1
Concise Oxford Dictionary (10th Ed.),
manuscript has the following meanings:
i. a handwritten book, document, or piece of
music.
ii. a handwritten or typed text submitted for or
awaiting printing and publication.
– ORIGIN: from medieval Latin. manuscriptus,
from manu „by hand‟ + scriptus „written‟.

4. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-2
Manuscript in general term
“denotes a handwritten composition or a book or a
document prepared by the author himself or by a
scribe who knows the trick to score”.

5. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-3
In Amarakosa, manuscript means
“pustam lepyadhikarman”

6. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-4
In India manuscript is denoted by the terms:
pustika, pustaka, pothaka, pothi, puthi,
potha, adarsa, mulakosa, hastalekha,
pandulipi

7. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-5
In Assamese, manuscript is denoted by terms
puthi, hatelekha puthi and pandulipi

8. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-6
Yoginitantra and Kavyamimamsa
“prastarapatiya, sila-patiya, dhatu-patiya, mrt-patiya,
pepirasia, carmapatiya, tadapatriya, bhurjapatriya,
sancipatiya, kargadiya, tulapatiya, patiya, kasthapatiya and
resamavastriya”

9. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-7
The first evidence of use of processed
bark of Saci tree, i.e. Sanchipat is found in
the Bana‟s Harsa-charata which is written
in the 7th Century A.D

10. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-8
Bana‟s Harsa-charata writes
“Agarubalkalkalpita sanchayani ch subhachitabhanji
pustakani parinatapatalapatolatibnghi”
‘Agarubalkal’ means bark of ‘Agaru tree’

11. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-9
For the first time, the term, sanchipat was
used in the Yaginitantra, as sancipatiya

12. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-10
The term sanchipat became most popular
during Ahom era and henceforth, the term
sanchipat exists in the Assamese society.

13. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-11
The term sanchipat denotes two meanings in Assamese
language:
i. writing material or support made of bark of Saci tree
(sanci or Sachi tree), pat means sheet or page (produced
after processing the bark).
ii. the manuscript itself as a colloquial replacement of the
original word „Puthi’ meaning manuscript

14. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-12
various spelling for sanchipat:
Sacipat, Saci-pat, Saci paat, Saci-paat,
Sachipata or Sanchipata, Sanchipatra,
hancipata

15. Field of Study contd…
Defining Manuscript-13
Henceforth following terms would be used in my further
discussion:
1. „sanchipat‟ to denote „writing material or support or sheet
made of bark of aloes wood‟;
2. „saci tree‟ to denote aloes wood or Aquilaria agallocha Roxb;
3. „sanchi manuscript‟ to denote „manuscript made of
sanchipat‟

16. IMPORTANCE
OF
MANUSCRIPTS

17. Importance of the Field contd…
1. Memory of the world
2. Largest Repository of MSS in the World
3. Hidden Economy
4. Education & Research

18. Importance of the Field contd…
1. Memory of the World
i. Hundreds of Themes
ii. Hundreds of Ideas
iii. Several Subjects
iv. Several Languages
v. Several writing Support

19. Importance of the Field contd…
2. Largest Repository of MSS in the World
i. Five Million MSS in India
ii. 36,930 MSS in Assam
iii.4,973 Repositories in Assam

20. Importance of the Field contd…
3. Hidden Economy
i. Tourism
ii. Publication
iii. Means of Survival

21. Importance of the Field contd…
4. Education & Research
i. Challenge of Decoding MSS
ii. Part of Academic Syllabus
iii. Study and Research
iv. Origin of a field of Knowledge
v. Development of written Language

22. HISTORY
OF
MANUSCRIPTS
IN
ASSAM & NORTH-EAST

23. History of MSS in Assam:
1 MSS in Ancient Assam (4th C. BC to 13th C.
AD)
2 MSS in Medieval Assam(14th C. AD to 1826
AD)
3 MSS in Modern Assam (1826 -)

24. History of MSS in Assam: contd…
1 MSS in Ancient Assam (4th C. BC to 13th C.
AD)
i. Phase-I (c. 400 BC- 700 AD)
ii.Phase-II (c.700 AD – 1000 AD)
iii.Phase-III (c.1000AD – 1300AD)

25. Time
↓
Types →
Phase-I
(c.400 BC-700
AD)
MSS of Wood
Origin
MSS of Copper
plates
MSS of
Rock/Stone
Inscription
MSS of Clay
Seals
c.400 BC Ramayana
c.400 BC Mahabharata
c.200 BC- 100 BC Harivamsa
c.350 AD Allahabad Pillar
Inscription
c. 400 AD Doobi Copper
Plates
c.500AD Mudraraksasa of
Visakhadutta
c.540-560 AD Apshad Inscription
at Nepal
c. 650 AD 1. Si-yu-ki of
Hiuen Tsang
2.Harchacharita
by Banabhatta
3. Five Vols. Of
Writing of
Sanchipat by
Bhaskarbarman
Nidhanpur Copper
Plates
3 Clay Seals at
Nalanda
by
Bhaskarbarman

26. Time
↓
Types →
Phase-II
c.700AD–1000 AD
MSS of Wood Origin MSS of Copper
plates
MSS of Rock/Stone
Inscription
MSS of Clay Seals
c.753AD Copper Plate
Inscription of
Rastrakuta by
Dantidurga
c. 759AD Pasupati Rock
Inscription of Nepal
c. 829AD Tezpur Rock
Inscription of
Harjjaravarmadev
c.900 AD Hayangthal
(Nawgong)Copper
Plate Grant of
Harjjaravarmadev
c.900 AD Tezpur Grant of
Vanamala
c.1000AD Nowgaon Grant of
Balavarman
c.1000AD Kalikapurana Sualkuchi Grant of
Ratnapala
c.1010 AD Borgaon Copper
Plate Grant of

27. Time
↓
Types →
Phase-III
1000AD- 1300AD
MSS of Wood Origin MSS of Copper
plates
MSS of Rock/Stone
Inscription
MSS of Clay Seals
11th C. AD Yoginitantra 3. Gauhati
Grant of Indrapala
2.Guakuchi
Grant of
Indrapala
12th C. AD 1. Khonamukhi Grant
of Dharmapala
2. Subhankarapataka
Grant of Dharmapala
3. Puspabhadra
Grant of Dharmapala
12th C. AD Silimpur Stone
Inscription of
Jayapaladeva
12th C. AD Kamauli Grant of
Vaidyadeva
12th C. AD Assam Plates of
Vallabhadeva
(c.1185AD
13th C. AD Kanaibarasi Stone
Inscription
13th C. AD Gachtal Pillar
Inscription
Visvasundaradeva

28. Time
↓
Types →
MSS of
Wood Origin
of Assam
MSS of
Copper
plates of
Assam
MSS of
Rock/Stone
Inscription
of Assam
MSS of
Clay Seals
of Assam
4th C. BC to
13th C. AD
6 nos. 14 nos. 4 nos. 3 nos.
A summary of the different types of manuscripts found in ancient
Assam

29. Sl.No SUBJECT SANSKRIT TITLE IN MEDIEVAL ASSAM
1 Aphorism Dak Bhanita, Hitopadesha, Nitiratna, etc.
2 Arithmetic Ankar Arjya, Jyotisha Churamani, Kitabata Manjari, etc.
3 Astronomy/Astrology Bhaswati.
4 Biography Damodar Charit, Gopal Ata Charit, Guru Charitra, etc.
5 Buranji Assam Burqanji, Raj Vamsabali, Deo Buranji, Darang Rajar
Vamsavali
6 Drama Arjuna Bhanjana, Bhumi Lunthan, Chordhara Jhumura,
7 Epics Katha Ramayan, Babrubahan Juddha, Baghasur Badha,
Mahabharat..
8 Fiction, Metrical Mrigavati Charit
9 Lexicography (Ahom) Amar
10 Mantras Jarjara Mantra & Birah-jara Mantra, Narasinha, Sapar
Dharani Mantra
11 Medicine Ghora Nidana, Hastividyarnaba.
12 Puranas
Bhagawat, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Haris Chandra
Upakhyan, etc.
13 Religious Works Amulya Ratan, Ajamil Upakhyan, Anadipatan, etc
14 Riddles Phakarar puthi
15 Songs & Lyrics Bargit, Dharmar Git, Gitar Bakala, Gitar Puthi.
16 Tantra Kamaratna Tantra.
17 Miscellaneous Bhagawat-I, II, III, IV, V, VII IX X XI

30. Sl.
No.
SUBJECT ASSAMESE TITLE OF MEDIEVAL ASSAM
1 Astronomy /Astrology Jyotisha-chakra, Jyotisha-darpana, Jyotisha muktavali, etc
2 Drama Maha-natakam
3 Fables Hitopadesha
4 Finger Manipulation
Art
Hasta-muktavali
5 Grammar Padamanjari, Ratnamala-vyakaranam (Taddhit) Ratnamala-
vyakaranam (Krit)
6 Hymns & Prayers Apaduddhara Mantra, Aparajita-astave, Graha-stava, etc.
7 Kavyas,
Commentaries Gitagovinda, Kumarasambhama, Raghu-vamsa-tika, etc
8 Palmistry Samudrika
9 Poetics Kavyaprakasa,
10 Puranas Srimat-Bhagavata Book-IV,VIII,X,XII
11 Religious Works Bhakti-ratnakar, Bishnu-dharma
12 Rituals Adbhuta-sara, Arnapurna-puja-bidhi, Durgotsava-bidhi, Ganga-
shorasi-bidhi.
13 Smritis Haribhaktivilasa, Manusamhita, Murkhabodha-vyavastha-samkhepa, etc.
14 Tantra Mantraprakasa, Sat-chakra
15 Miscellaneous Bharata-savitri, Mandaladhyaya, Patra-kaumudi, Prasna-

31. Some Paintings of Medieval Assam Artist
Saat Baikuntha in Chihnyatra Sankardeva
Paintings in Dashamskandha Bhagawat Sankardeva
Paintings in Bhagawata & Purana Sankardeva et.al.
Paintings in Darrang Raaj Bangshavali Suryakhori Doivagya
Paintings in Hasthividyarnava Sukumar Borkath
Paintings in Sankhachur Badh Kaviraj Chakravarty
Paintings in Git Govinda & Lava-Kushar
Yudha
Harihar Bipra
Paintings in Kolki-Puran Ghanashyam Khargharia Phukan