Tamil Heritage Month - January Learn & Explore Lesson

This Sri Lankan manuscript contains text on medicinal subjects. It was produced using ola leaves upon which the text was incised with a stilo, a pointed steel dagger-like instrument. An ink made from berries was rubbed over the whole page and then gently removed, so that only the indentations retained the color. The horizontal format follows traditional manuscripts in South Asia dating back at least to the 10th century. They were bound with string through holes at the centre of the page and usually sandwiched between decorative covers made of wood, ivory, silver, or other materials. Ola leaves come from the Talipot trees. The tradition of writing on ola leaves is said to be very old and used for special texts such as horoscopes and religious texts.

This Sri Lankan manuscript contains text on medicinal subjects. It was produced using ola leaves upon which the text was incised with a stilo, a pointed steel dagger-like instrument. An ink made from berries was rubbed over the whole page and then gently removed, so that only the indentations retained the color. The horizontal format follows traditional manuscripts in South Asia dating back at least to the 10th century. They were bound with string through holes at the centre of the page and usually sandwiched between decorative covers made of wood, ivory, silver, or other materials. Ola leaves come from the Talipot trees. The tradition of writing on ola leaves is said to be very old and used for special texts such as horoscopes and religious texts. 

This is an anklet for a child. It is from Rajasthan, India and was made in the 19th century. It is made of silver. It is used for personal adornment and produces a jingling sound when handled or worn. 

These are a reproduction of Indus Valley seals. Some seals were made of terracotta but most were made out of steatite (soapstone). Researchers and archaeologists are still trying to decipher the writing system that was used in the Indus Valley so it is unknown what is written on these seals. Researchers are finding connections between these inscriptions and the Tamil language (as well as other languages around South Asia).