Myanmar Culture

Palm Leave Inscriptions

Ancient Myanmars wrote their records on slabs of sandstone or bronze, gold plate, palm leaves and parabaik or writing tablet made of paper, cloth or metal in the form of accordion folds.Palm-leaf inscriptions are usually made on corypha palm leaf with stylus. Palm-leaf inscriptions are made on corypha palm leaf or on toddy palm leaf which is more common.

Palm-leaf inscriptions are usually made on corypha palm leaf with stylus. Palm-leaf inscriptions are made on corypha palm leaf or on toddy palm leaf which is more common.Scholars believed that the earliest use of palm-leaf inscriptions was begun by Pyus of Srikestra. Religion, astronomy, astrology, medicine, history, legal code of Dhammathat, poetry, literary records were mostly written on palm leaves.

Every palm leaf has one punched hole on either end called Palin Bauk. For systematic safe keeping, palm leaves are stacked on two bamboo rods called Palin Tai which run through the punched holes.

Then the bundle of palm-leaf writings is bound with two wooden blades called Kyan the wooden blades are coloured in black, red or gilded as desired.Then, the bundle of palm-leaf inscriptions is wrapped up in two layers of cloth.

The inner layer is usually cotton and the outer one is silk or velvet. The bundles of palm-leaf inscriptions are then wrapped up in bamboo-ribbed roll of cloth called Sar Palwe. The wrapped up manuscript bundles are kept in large-teak case called Sar Taik which means manuscripts box.

Nowadays, many people are no longer familiar with palm-leaf manuscripts or parabaik. The preservation of these manuscripts is a national duty so that the posterity may enjoy our cultural heritage.