Chapter 3

Manuscripts Discovered in Different Parts

of Himachal Pradesh

Manuscripts or handwritten scripts are significant treasures of heritage.

In the initial stages human beings used to express their thoughts and
expressions in form of paintings or illustrations, but later with the development
of script and material for writing and as new techniques were developed, there
was a development in the paintings and illustrations. Before the advent of
publications, handwritten manuscripts are testimonial to different creations.

Scripts written in simple language and words are called manuscripts. In

antiquity, animal skin, Tadpatra, Bhojpatra etc. were used on which the scripts
used to be written by hand and they usually had yellow color on it, (Panduvarn
in Hindi) hence the name of manuscripts is (Pandulipi in Hindi), like different
regions, there are a number of manuscripts in district Shimla of Himachal
Pradesh. Apart from temples, there are Ancient and rare manuscripts
available in different museums, libraries and in collections of different persons
and scholars.^

Preserved in the state museum at Shimla, it comes to light from this

manuscript that a strong tradition of painting was prevalent in the western
Himalayan region before the advent of the Mughals. In addition to this an
illustration created by artist Golu which was possessed by Mahant of Nar
Singh temple Fatehpur (Nurpur) is of special importance. An illustration
'Karurabharan' illustrated in the Basholi style has been preserved and
secured at Bharat kala Bhawan in Banaras. Similarly there is the 'Saundrya
Lehri' script which has been prepared in Garhwali style in 1870 Sawant
according to Hindu calendar on the banks of river Alaknanda. If we study
these illustrated manuscripts according to styles used in them these have
reflections of folk tradition in them. The painters have not created this
illustrations keeping in view the specialties and elements of different styles,
thus it becomes difficult to identify the styles and schools of painting in there.
The different styles can be distinguished on the basis of the contours of
creations of costumes, ornaments, color and shapes and images of faces.^

34
These handwritten illustrated manuscripts are significant in understanding the
cultural, religious, political and social aspects of the Himachal.

Himachal Pradesh has two museums, one is in Shimla and other is in

Dharmasala which have the rare manuscripts in archive. The Himachal
Academy of Arts, Culture and Languages, Shimla is an Autonomous Trust
under the Govt., of Himachal Pradesh and it was established for the
development of Arts, Culture and Languages of the state. The Academy has a
collection of more than 500 manuscripts written in Sarada and Takri which are
preserved in its Libraries across the state.

The Academy signed the MOU with the Mission in May 2005. Since
then the MRC has been given financial support towards its whole MRC
related activities. Out of its total data contribution 12,199 have been web-
loaded till date. Dr. Sudarshan Vashisth was the first Project Coordinator of
the MRC and thereafter, Dr. B.R. Jaswal is continuing in the post.

In September 2006, the National Survey took place in Himachal

Pradesh and through this programme the surveyors could successfully locate
approximately 20,000 manuscripts across the state. During the programme, it
was also seen that the school students were getting involved in the
awareness campaigns to promote the documentation and conservation of
manuscripts.^

From 6**^-23^'' November 2006, the Mission organized a primary level

workshop on Manuscriptology and Paleography in the Baishna Mata Temple
premises at Kullu, in collaboration with Himachal Academy of Arts, Culture
and Languages, Shimla.'*

35
 Performance of the MRC

Total No. of Survey Conducted One in each district except

Chamba & Lahaul Spiti

Total Awareness Camps. Conducted 10

No. of Staffs Engaged in MRC Work Scholars 4

Officials 3

Total No. of Repositories Covered Govt. 528

Private

Total No. of Districts Covered 3

Total Manuscripts acquired during survey 700

Total data Documented 46, 500

The other museum Library of Tibetan Works and Archives,

Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh was Conceived of and founded by His
Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The Library of Tibetan Works and
Archives (LTWA) is one of the most important institutions in the world
dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of Tibetan culture. It has
been operational since November 1, 1971.

As a centre for the study of Tibetan culture, the Library is firmly

dedicated to a threefold vision of preservation, protection and promotion. The
Library is home to one of only two Tibetan Oral History projects in the world.
The Tibetan Manuscript Collection contains more than 80,000 items, ranging
from handwritten manuscripts and centuries old documents to contemporary
books and periodicals. Of special value are several handwritten editions of the
Kangyur and Tengyur, the Tibetan Buddhist Canon; major works of Tibet's
four Buddhist traditions, the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug, as well as
the indigenous Bon tradition. It is in the process of completing a general
catalogue of all materials in the collection. An important new project for the
LTWA is the launch of the Central Archives of the Works of His Holiness the
14th Dalai Lama. The purpose of which is to gather all materials concerning
his Holiness the Dalai Lama's teachings, writings and speeches.

36
 The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives started collaborating with
the Mission as an MRC since September 2003. The survey in the state of
Himachal Pradesh has so far generated out 95, 628 data on manuscripts and
manuscript collections related to Buddhist studies, Vastu , Sangita , Darsana,
Chandas, etc. Covering 5 districts with the team of four scholars and one
official of the MRC, the MRC has surveyed and documented 22 institutes in
Himachal Pradesh. All the above mentioned data has been converted into
electronic format. The institute has conducted 25 outreach campaigns in
which more than 125 people participated.

The manuscripts are called "Pothis" in local dialects and paper rolls
and scrolls are termed as 'Chilthu'. A larger number of these manuscripts are
available with Brahmin families. As per tradition when joint families of Brahmin
brothers take separate possession of farni land, wealth etc. these Pothis are
also taken possession of by separate households and it is only after the
division of the Pothis that property, weather and land is divided amongst
brothers.

As such, it would be no exaggeration in saying that these people give a

significant relevance to these Pothis or manuscripts. The manuscripts are
here largely available with Brahmins, Rajvaids and royal families. A large part
of the manuscripts available in district Shimla are those written on paper, but
some of these are also available in materials like Bhojpatra, white cloth
(Lattha) and copper plates.

The owners of these manuscripts keep these manuscripts in safe

custody and are also particular in keeping them pure a pious status is
accorded to these and are kept in a clean place. In some places, few people
or members of the family are allowed to have access to the place where the
manuscripts are kept.

The manuscripts found in Shimla district are on a range of topics and

subjects including on history, Vedas, Purans, Music, religious studies, Tantra,
Mantra, Yantra etc. Apart from Rajpurohits, and Scholars of Himachal sages
and scholars from Garhwal and other parts of the country have contributed in
writing these manuscripts. Before independence as illiteracy was prevalent

37
here many scholars invited Garhwali Brahmins to write these manuscripts.
The scholars inherited the skill of manuscripts from their ancestors, either
received knowledge from scholars who came to Himachal from Bengal, Kashi,
Kashmir, Punjab and other states, or learned about manuscripts if they went
to study out side the state. Some people from selected families even went to
Lahore to study.

The mid 16th century is said to be the period of beginning of the

Mughal paintings in India. The initial Mughal paintings beard an imprint of
Persian art and along with it had shades of Western and mid Indian art, and
along with these was an admixture of Gujarati, Kashmiri, Nepali and
European art also. And the credit for these influences goes to fondness for
artworks of Emperor Akbar.

Akbar got the legacy of preservation, documentation as well

development of manuscripts from his father Emperor Humanyun. Akbar's
mother Hamidabano had a separate library (Kuteebkhan) to her credit.

The manuscripts which developed in the period by Akbar can be

divided into two major categories-Non Indian artistic creations pictures of
Indian creation and bases on Indian culture, history.

This phase was the period of cultural spread when different artistic
forms were imbibed in Indian paintings. In the royal artistic creations, the
paintings based on epics were created on a large scale. Books with pictorial
descriptions were created on Indian works like Ramayana, Harivansh
Puranas and Rajamnama (Mahabharata), Nal-Damyanti, besides non Indian
historical works like Hamjanama, Diwan-e-Hafiz, Tutinama-Anware Suhaili
and Khamsa-e-Nizami etc. Complete manuscripts of these works along with
mutilated copies of some works are preserved in different museums in the
country as well abroad. Mughal art and paintings reached its pinnacle under
the patronage of Akbar and his descendent. The illustrations and paintings in
the manuscripts of the works of Padshahnama which was documented in the
reign of Shahjahan is an example of splendor of Mughal paintings and art.
The downfall of the Mughal art and paintings started during the reign of
Aurangzeb and with the death of Aurangzeb in the beginning of 17th century a

38
bloody battle ensured to capture the throne. Due to this struggle for power
and continues battles amongst Mughal rulers, the Mughal art, paintings faced
complete neglect.

The artists and painters who flourished under patronage of Mughal

rulers, sought refuge with the Rajput rulers after downfall of the Mughal era.
The Rajput rulers had stopped paying taxes to the Mughal rulers with the
decline of Mughal era, so the Rajput rulers were financially also sound now
and provided good patronage to the artists and painters who flourished during
Mughal period.^

The Pahari rulers also used to pay taxes to the Mughal rulers and
being Mansabdars they used to frequent the Mughal Darbars. Being valiant
warriors the rulers of Nurpur and Guler led the Mughal army with much skill
and helped out the Mughal rulers in their different battlefield ventures. This
interaction of the Pahari rulers helped them learn about the Mughal culture,
art and Mughal Durbars, while competing with their Mughal counterparts. The
Pahari rulers settled in the Himalayan who admired art forms also plains gave
state patronage to the artists who earned repute in the Mughal courts. As a
result due to the state patronage given by the Pahari rulers this art form
dwelled in these regions from the 17th century to 19th century. The art form
which developed due to the royal and state patronage of Pahari rulers is
famous worldwide today as "Pahari Paintings".

When the illustration, pictorial form of art developed in the genre of

Pahari paintings received similar appreciation by the Pahari rulers also as it
had received during the Mughal rule. The artists not only depicted illustrations
of the episodes from religions texts but they also painted and depicted
pictorially the texts from poetry works.

The oldest illustrated manuscript available in the genre of Pahari

paintings is the one which was found in Jaisinghpur village in Kangra district.
The paintings in this manuscript are an example of the initial period of Kangra
paintings.^

The manuscript which is known by the name of "Devi Mahatmaya"

largely depicts was scenes between goddess and demons. Keeping in view

39
the significance of this manuscript, head in charge of the state museum in
Shimla, Dr. Vishwa Chand Ohri and another official Ajit Singh procured the
manuscript for the state museum in 1995. According to the leaflets of the
manuscript this work was scripted in 1575 in a place called Jaisinghpur in
Kangra. According to the painting style of Devi Mahatmaya, it can be
compared to another historical work with paintings i.e. Chaur Panchashika.
The Chaur Panchashika is a vivid example of the painting style prevalent in
the 16th century in Northern India.

The manuscript of 'Devi Mahatmaya' which is present in the Shimla

State Museum is an unbounded book as per Hindu tradition. Each page of the
manuscript has Shiokas of Durga Saptashati written on both sides of a page
in the 'Devnagri' script. Besides this these are beautiful illustrations of the war
between Goddess Durga and the demons on the pages of this manuscript.

The illustration style depicted in the manuscript of Devi Mahatmaya

available in the state museum at Shimla gives a reflection of ancient tradition
of the Rajput style of paintings. The color scheme, style of painting of flora,
buildings, houses and shapes in a reflection of the Indian paintings prevalent
in the middle ages. Especially the big eyes of female images, the minute
details on their costumes, clothes and ornaments are similar to the manuscript
of chaur Panchashika paintings. A long veni and hanging points of ornaments
are the special features of these paintings.

Another work with illustrations and paintings obtained from Kangra has
also been famous for its paintings. Based on "Shahnama" which was work of
Persian writer Firdausi, this work was created by Kashmiri artist on request of
a Mughal official called Mirza Rustam. The manuscript of this Shahnama with
illustrations is now present at the Chester Bottij library in Dublin. These are
299 pages in this scripture and amongst these there are 41 paintings which
are illustrated in Kashmiri painting style and are influenced to a large extend
by the Persian art form and style.

This work of 1695, contains the information in Persian about the date of
its creation and the person on whose behest it was created as "Bee Tarikh
Shehar-e-Muharram Abal Haraam san 36 Jaluswia Mutabik-e-san 1107 Dar

40
Balad Kangra Bee Mauzib-e-Pharmaish-e-Mirza Rustam" meaning that it is on
the 11th day of the pious month of Muharram and the 36th year of the
kingdom i.e. 1107 Hijre that Mirza Rustam of Ngarkot requested to create
these paintings.^ However there is no reflection of local Kangra painting style
or the Devi Mahatmya paintings in the style of paintings in Shahnama. It
seems that the a Kashmiri artist Shahnama working in Kashmir produced this
work for the Mughal official Mirza Rustam and the work gives a reflection of
style of painting prevalent in Kashmir.

A monocular background and a white line separating the sky at the

pinnacle removed of the tradition that was prevalent in the painting style in the
Akbar is reign in North Indian style paintings and illustration forms, and the
style of painting the vegetation and the floral and plant motifs are almost
similar to the earlier Pahari paintings.

The tradition of paintings and illustrations based on scriptures was

prevalent in almost all states in the hills. The works like "Dilip Ranjani" by poet
Uttam depicting history of state of Guler and "Brajraj Panchashika" poems
written by poet Dutt for King Brijraj Dev of Jammu may not have illustrations
and paintings but are of historical significance as they spell out detailed
history of the Pahari states in the mountains.

However a work full of paintings and illustrations 'Madhu Maiti'

obtained from Mandi district is famous for its paintings. This manuscript was
available in personal collections of Late Chandramani Kashyap of Mandi. This
manuscript has paintings in the Mandi style along with Madhumaiti poetry of
poet Manjhanin Tankri script. Another work having paintings in 'Mandi style'
based on the poems and creations of poet Keshavdas Rani on them of Ram
Chandrika was also available in collections of Late. Kashyap.

The poems in this work were written in Devnagri script and on basis of
the style of paintings this manuscript can be estimated to the period dating
back to around 1775.

The manuscript with illustrations and paintings based on the work of

Bihari Satsai available in collections of National Museum at New Delhi is of
special importance. Bihari Satsai has been famous for its romanticism. A

41
series of paintings based on Satsai in the Guler style of paintings are amongst
the finest examples of Satsai. Another work based on Satsai is also available
in the Bhuri Singh Museum of Chamba, which depicts the paintings and
images of Radha and Krishna along with Manglacharan in the initial pages.

Apart from being an ardent reverent of Goddess king Umed Singh of

Chamba was a brave warrior. He organized a huge "Sahastra Chandi Yajna"
in his palace and it is because of this his palace was named Akhand Chandi.
King Umed Singh (1748-1763) got a temple of Chamunda Devi constructed in
1754 in the village of Devikothi. Built in Pahari style the temple is a vivid
example and is known for its wooden architecture as well its wall paintings.
Two artists named Lehru and Mahesh who worked in Chamba during the
reign of King Umed Singh have been very famous. These artists created
series of paintings based on Bhagwat Purana and Dashavtaar.

The artist named Lehru created paintings and illustrations on the basis
of Chandi Path. (Durga Saptshati) which Umed Singh used to read. Some
pages of this work containing the illustrations are present in the Bhuri Singh
Museum of Chamba as well state museum in Shimla. Another manuscript
named 'Swapna Darpan' with illustrations and paintings is present in Bhuri
Singh museum of Chamba. This book depicts in detail the good and bad
omens seen in dreams and the interpretation of these omens. On one side of
the page there are illustrations and paintings and the backside of the page
gives the detailed description. A series of replicas of 'Swapna Darshan' have
been created and the oldest copy is that of in Basholi style of painting.
Created around in 1700, a large number of pages of the 'Swapna Darshan'
are available in Boston museum of America

Paintings depicting illustrations of medical treatment for horses have

been a theme of Pahari paintings in many works. These works illustrate
various diseases which infect horses, besides depicting the treatments for the
diseases. On one side a painting or pictorial representation of horse is done
along with illustrations of the symptoms of the diseases and on the other hand
medication for the diseases is written. Copies of such illustrative manuscripts
with the name of 'Ashwa Shastra' and 'Saindhav Shastra' are present in Bhuri
Singh museum of Chamba.

42
 Recently copies of the 'Pahari Ragmala' have become famous in the
artistic circles, and unfortunately pages of illustrative manuscripts extracted
from museums have been sold in foreign markets. It is perhaps for the first
time that the copies based on theme of 'Ragmala' have come to light.
According to the text of the Ragmala, this work was present in the collections
of Royal family of Kangra. Illustrative manuscripts have been created on the
themes of Dashavtar, Chandi Path, Strotmala, Gajendra Moksh, Bhagwad
Gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Tantra, Jyotish (astrology), Kamshastra etc.
in the Pahari style of paintings. These scripts and works are available in
collections of number of governmental, non-government are private
museums. These paintings and illustrations in the illustrated manuscripts were
usually created by the writers and creators of these works themselves. These
writers and creators used to room in groups and traveled in different states
where they created these works on him demands of their clients. These artists
and writers were skilled enough to prepare a number of illustrations, creative
texts and copies of the work.

Many of the writers and artists used to themselves create, write and
paint for the royals, ministers and rich people. Most of the illustrated
manuscripts do not have the names of the painters. But names of writers and
publishers were written at the end of the work.

Meanwhile while preparing copes of mutilated and degraded

manuscripts most of the writers used to take clues from the letters and write
about these by guessing which creates a difference in the text of the books.
After preparing copies of the manuscripts the writers would write their names
and date and would also make a declaration.

^n^^ ^^?T^ ^^^ m ^ felRsId 'T^IT

^rf^ ^j,*jM!(i,^ m TIT ^Wr ^ cfhMdiH

Meaning: I have written in the manuscript whatever I have seen in the
book. If there is any error in the script I am not liable to be held responsible for
it.

43
ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE HANDWRITTEN SCRIPTURES OF HIMACHAL

The Himalayas are the largest group comprising of the highest

mountains and mountain ranges in the world. It has been the originating place
of many cultures and languages and has been preserving these since ages.
While conducting the Indian languages survey, the great linguist Grierson
found that most of the languages and dialects spoken in India are found in the
Himalayan region.

Since ancient times the Himalayas have provided a creative

atmosphere in which famous sages like Vyas could create resourceful works.
In the Indian history there was an era when scholars were successful in
spreading Indian knowledge across the heights of Himalayas to Central Asia,
Tibet and China. King Asoka had sent five scholars to spread religious
preaching in the Himalayas and as a result Buddhism spread in different parts
across Himalayas. Following this, research scholars of different nations came
India to study and took several documents with them besides translating
some of them. The Sanskrit versions of these have been also preserved in
Tibet.

This work started growing slowly and took a form of a big movement
and groups of several scholars were involved in it. Royals and many rulers
also joined this movement. With emulation of Indian scripts a script was
developed in Tibet which led to the development of Buddhist literature in
refined literary language and to achieve this objective Sanskrit was used.
Indian Buddhist works and literature were translated on a large scale into
Tibetan language and this translation led to great achievements. Indian and
Tibetan scholars carried out the translation work jointly. The Tibetan
translators were called "Lochava" and Indian scholars were addressed as
Pandits. A Pandit does not necessarily mean a Brahmin. In short, the
Lochavas and Pandits were jointly called Lo-Pan. In the hierarchy after the
Lo-Pans was the 'Jhu-Dog' who carried out the corrections. And the
translation work was completed by the joint efforts of the three i.e. the
Lochavas, Pandits and the Jhu-dog. The edited document had the names of
these three in the end of the document.

44
 The process of translation was quite distinctive. Foremost the Sanskrit
word was split and then the main parts of the word were translated which
gave rise to the unspoken word. In the process of translation the tenor or the
spirit of the word was not taken into consideration but the meaning of the word
was taken.

For example if we take the word 'Bhagwan'. According to the

translation process outlined above, the word Bhagwan and its synonyms will
be translated separately, which are included in the following list.

Sanskrit word Tibetan translation

Bhagwan Chom Dan Dey

Ishwar Vang Chug

Prabhu Da- Dog

Vibhu Khyab-Dog

Apart from this names of persons and places were also translated, like

Vaishali Yangpa Chan

Rajgrah Gyalpoi Khab

Mathura Chom Log

Radha Dub Jedma

Ram Ga-Jed

Ravan D-Dog

Some of the translated words have been standardized. The advantage

of this process is that it becomes easy to translate any from Bhoti into
Sanskrit. These translations are quite close to the original ones. Some work
relate dot it is being carried out in Benares. Beside this there is another
advantage. Many explanatory words of Sanskrit are not very clear in their
original forms. For example 'Tathagat', this word I Sanskrit can be used to
explain one who has come and one who has gone. In Bhoti Tathagat has only
one specific meaning and it is translated as 'Dey Jhin Shegpa'.

45
 Rahul Sankrityan has done an incredible work in the present times by
bringing the original Buddhist Sanskrit scriptures back to India. Many works
had remained securely hidden in the temple of Tibet. Rahul Sankritayan went
to Tibet twice or thrice and was successful in getting the back the original
documents and got photographs of some.

No information is available about the presence of original Sanskrit

manuscripts in Lahaul -Spiti of Himachal, neither in Ladhak and Zanskar.
Though many works translated in Bhoti are available. Original works in Bhoti
have not developed much in the region. These are very small works and only
few have gained recognition.

These regions have had a good tradition of creating memorabilia in

remembrance of the dead and these have been created in form of idol of
Gods, Chorten (Chaitya) and copies of religious scriptures. Presently also
copies of many handwritten scriptures can be found in many households. In
the end of the scriptures two or three page writings are also added which
include prayers, the name of dead person, family details, names of guests
and the gifts given by them and these creations are quite valuable and
historical.

Different types of manuscripts available in Himachal are written in

Sharada and Tankri scripts. These are related to religion, Tantra, history,
Ayurveda, astrology etc. Apart from this different type of state administrative
records are available which include the records of land conferred by rulers,
certificates issued by them and different state orders. Methodological scientific
studies of such documents have hardly been carried out except for the copper
plates of Chamba. There is a significant need of carrying out methodological
studies and analysis of the available documents and all other archival
documents and items.

India has had a special tradition of paintings and illustrations depicted

on Tadpatras and Bhojpatra since ancient times. It was around 12th century
that there was an advent of revolution in the writing and painting in any kind of
script with the invention of handmade paper. The tradition of writing different
texts by hand. Scripts along with decorating the texts by pictures and parings

46
started in the middle ages. In the Pahari scriptures the history of the Pahari
folks, religious inclinations and Bhakti were the thennes which were depicted
as illustrations. In the handwritten illustrative manuscripts there is a clear cut
reflection of different styles of paintings including Basholi, Guler, Kangra,
Kullu, Mandi, Nurpur, Garhwal etc.

The folk lore revolving around the themes of religion, culture, love have
been the basic essentials of Pahari paintings. The style of illustrated
manuscripts was present till the end of 19th century in the hills from Jammu to
Garhwal till Himachal Pradesh and these depict a transition in tradition and
development in the world of Pahari paintings.

There has been a long tradition of illustrated scripts in the hilly areas,
but the main reason for this has been the art lovers and artists were more
interested in miniature paintings and wall paintings. In contrast to this many
scriptures with illustrations and paintings were created in the museums of
these areas are a significant repository of illustrated manuscripts.

It has often been the rural and underprivileged communities in the

country, which have preserved the key aspects of the traditional knowledge
system related to the popular sciences, such as house-building, medicinal
plants, farming, forestry, arts and crafts, etc. Much of that 'folk wisdom' is
preserved in the oral traditions and the customary practices of the people, and
some of it is also available in the handwritten records, the manuscripts. By
restoring legitimacy to that treasure of the traditional knowledge, we not only
encourage and empower the local cultures, lifestyles, economy and
encourage the hereditary artisans, but also at the same time enrich and
strengthen the dossier of the so-called modern knowledge system. Therefore,
it is imperative that all the available scriptural material, which may be
neglected in private homes, is documented, researched and rendered into
modern languages for greater access.

In this regard, it may be mentioned that at several places in the

interiors of Himachal Pradesh, a vast number of manuscripts written in
Sanskrit, Bhoti, Gurumukhi, Takari, Persian, Arabic, Urdu, etc. are still subject
to indifference and neglect. Most of them are sacerdotal in nature; others deal

47
with Tantra, medicines, agriculture, eroticism, cookery, folk traditions, history,
revenue and forest administration, etc.

Majority of the manuscripts found in Himachal Pradesh are on

handmade thick paper, popularly known as Syalkoti Kagaz, but in the interiors
manuscripts on Bhojpatra (birch bark) are also quite numerous. In fact,
Bhojpatra was a popular medium of writing in the Himalayan interiors, where it
was plentifully available.

Schoolchildren in remote schools of Chamba used it for writing until the

1960s. Harish Chandra Sharma, a retired district education officer of Chamba,
narrates that while on an inspection tour, he was given an application written
on bhojpatra in one of the schools in the remote Pangi valley. Manuscripts
written on the bamboo stripes and palm leafs are also found in the Buddhist
trans-Himalayan interiors. There are also technical texts written on loose
folios related to weaving, embroidery and painting. These texts are usually
written on sheepskin parchment, but some are also found on handmade
paper. Such texts, written in a shorthand-like coded script, related to the
shawl weaving tradition in Kashmir, were known as Taleem and any artisan
who mastered the script was known as the Taleem-guru. The cocktail of
Persian and Sanskrit in the term Taleem-guru offers an insight to the
integrative Kashmiri socio-cultural milieu. Such parchment sheets perforated
as stencils are known as the Charbas, and these were used by Pahari
painters who employed them to produce several copies of the same painting.

Then, there are several texts of great importance for the national and
regional sociopolitical and cultural history still in the possession of people in
the Himalayan interiors. Most of these texts are not written on perishable
Paper, but on copper sheets. As such, these are known as the copper-plates
and not as manuscripts. However, the texts inscribed on these metal sheets
are of considerable importance.

The copperplates of Chamba and Nirmand are very important, but

many such documents are found elsewhere too in the interiors of Himachal
Pradesh and Uttaranchal. Some of the copper-plates were inscribed with the
coded esoteric texts and diagrams. In this context, the esoteric Sancha

48
manuscripts, containing traditional Sancha Vidya, preserved by the hereditary
Brahmin families in the interiors of Shimla and Sirmaur districts in Himachal
Pradesh and the adjoining parts of Uttaranchal may also be important. There
are now only a few Brahmins initiated into Sancha Vidya.

In the Buddhist trans-Himalayan interiors, wooden blocks, carved as

negatives, had been in use for centuries to handprint or block-print various
sacerdotal Buddhist scriptures and secular texts on the Bhojpatra, paper or
cloth. The block-printed volumes of Buddhist texts may be found preserved in
many trans-Himalayan monasteries of Ladakh, Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur.

Among these texts, the Kangyur and the Tengyur are of great
importance not only for their ethical and sacerdotal nature, but also for many
other reasons. For instance, in the Tengyur compendium, one may find texts
on various secular subjects, such as grammar, poetry, painting, logic, rhetoric,
law, medicine, chemistry, veterinary science, palmistry, astrology and
biographies. In the medical texts, translations of the Sanskrit medical treatises
of Charak and Agastya and, even the great Sanskrit classic Meghadootam of
Kalidas may be found. One may find the complete volumes of Kangyur and
Tengyur preserved in the Tengyur Temple at Kanum. These volumes were
block-printed in AD 1820 at Narthang, once the Nalanda of Tibetan world. The
Tabo chos-khor in the Spiti Valley also possesses a large collection of Bhoti
manuscripts, most of them related to tantra. Besides, the Kangyur and
Tengyur, one may find in the Bhoti manuscripts the Temia treatises, attributed
to Padmasambhava, the founder of Vajrayan Buddhism in Tibet. One of the
Terma treatises, named Pad-ma-kai-thang is important, for it contains
valuable references to the existence of Zahor kingdom around Rewalsar as
early as eighth century AD, which is also partly affirmed by the local
archaeological and circumstantial evidences.

However, the existence of that kingdom is not recorded in the formal

feudalistic historical texts. Similarly, our knowledge about the splendid
Buddhist monasteries of Ladakh, Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur would have
remained very scanty and deficient had the manuscript folios of the rnamthar
(biography) of Rinchen Sangpo (Ratnabhadra), the Great Lotsab and the
builder of monasteries in the western Tibet, not been found. We have so far

49
spoken only of the benefits that manuscripts accrue for us. But the scriptural
text has proved to be a mixed blessing for folklore.

While manuscripts preserve the folklore of different communities and

regions in the standardized scriptural format for posterity, they also rob it of
the element of informal romance. The innate creative impulse, the subtle
flexibility, and uniqueness, hallmarks of folk creativeness cannot be witnessed
in manuscripts. That paradoxical situation has afflicted the folktales and
folksongs rather severely. Because the folktales and folksongs transmit best
orally form person to person and generation to generation, leaving enough
scope for an individual to modify, change and add contexts, imageries, and
couplets under the individual aesthetic impulses, unmindful of its authorship.

Thus, one may find several versions of one particular folktale or

folksong. Thus, such folk expressions have always remained fresh and
contemporary, irrespective of the spacio-temporal limitations. Rendering the
creative folklore to writing has made it fixed and inflexible. But, that may be a
small price that we have to pay to bequeath to the next generation what we
have inherited from our forefathers by way of oral tradition. More so, under the
pressure of globalization, and market forces, the nuances of the oral traditions
that evoke nostalgia ought to be valued highly and preserved in any form
possible.

The Sialkot paper has been largely used for the illustrated handwritten
Pahari manuscripts. The writing and illustrations were done on a single page
only. Wherever there was a need for illustrations or paintings, space was left
there. Many artists were involved in creation, illustrations and paintings that
were included in the handwritten illustrated manuscripts.

Foremost a scholar prepared the outline for the manuscript and guided
the others. Secondly, the scripter used to write the text on the paper. Then it
was the turn of the main painter and illustrator to draw, sketch the paintings
and illustrations in the handwritten illustrated manuscript. We can observe a
number of compositions in the Pahari illustrated handwritten manuscripts like:

• Illustrations somewhere here and there in middle of the scripture.

• Text on one side and illustration with the text on the other side

50
• Text on the upper side and illustrations below it.

• Text on left and right side and illustration in between

• Illustration at the end of the part or episode

• Illustrations on both sides of the scripture

These illustrated manuscripts are available in number of styles of

Pahari painting like Basholi, Guler, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Nurpur, Garhwali
etc.

SOME OF THE STYLES OF PAHARI ILLUSTRATED HANDWRITTEN

MANUSCRIPTS

King Pritam Singh (1767-1806) and artist Bhagwan played a significant

role in creating the illustrated manuscripts of the Kullu style. The illustrated
manuscripts available in Kullu style include, Sunder Shringar, Madhu Maiti,
Bhagwat Puran.Sunder Shringar.^

Handwritten illustrated manuscripts of Kullu style are famous because

of its antiquity and use of Tankri script. The size of this script available in
Chandigarh museum is 20X15 cm. Depicted on Sialkot paper, this huge
manuscript comprises of 80 pages and has 64 romantic illustrations. The
original writer of this script is Sunder Pass, who was royal poet in the court of
Shahjahan and was conferred the designation of 'Kavirai' in the Mughal court.
This is the oldest script illustrated in Kullu style and dates back to 1788 (1855
Samwat according to Hindu calendar)^

Two more scripts related to this style namely the Bhagwat and Madhu
MaIti were illustrated in 1794 and 1799 respectively. The local style of painting
present in Sunder Shringar gets reflected in other Pahari scriptures also. The
name of the painter or the illustrator is not present in the script; however the
paintings or illustrations depicting human beings have a bearing of the style of
artist Bhagwan and are more or less similar to the miniature paintings
prevalent in Kullu during that time.

51
MADHU MALTI

The Madhu Maiti handwritten illustrated manuscript of Kullu stie is

largely premised on the theme of love. Created by artist Chaturbhy Dass the
names of the of hero (Nayak) and the heroine (Nayika) are Madhu and MaIti
in the love tale. Daughter of King Chandrasen, MaIti was a beautiful damsel.
Similarly Madhu, son of minister in the kingdom of Chandrasen, Madhu was
also a handsome hunk.

Impressed by his handsome imagery, MaIti fell for Mahdu and

expressed her love for him. However keeping view the social status and caste
differences Madhu refused to accept MaIti proposal. MaIti refused to budge
and Madhu had to accept Malti's love and they got married secretly by
'Gandharva marriage' on the banks of Ram Sarovar. The King was however
not happy after hearing about the secret marriage. When the king came to
know about that Madhu and MaIti are reincarnations of Kamdev and Rati
respectively he was ovenwhelmed with guilt.^

The folk lore of Mahdu and MaIti was so famous in the area that three
series were created in Kullu style of painting based upon it which are
preserved in Jagdish Mital museum in Hyderabad, Latifi collections and
Boston museum respectively.

BHAGWAT PURAN

The national museum in New Delhi houses a handwritten illustrated

manuscript on Bhagwat Puran. This script was illustrated by Kullu based artist
Bhagwan for King Priatam Singh in Raghunathpur in 1794 (1851 samwat
according to Hindu calendar. It seems the artists' draws inspiration for the
illustrations of women in this paintings from local women folk. The faces of the
paintings have a similar kind of expression and the bodies are long. The
cholis worn by the women in the paintings are similar to the English letter (v)
in their shapes. The clothes have the Bandkidar decoration on them. The
Odhni has been worn like a Saree with Ulta Pallu. Bright green, yellow and
red colors have been used. These illustrations bear the imprint of personal
style of artist Bhagwan. At some places human imagery is less and the space
is occupied by illustrations of lots of trees. Illustrations of thin and flexible
trees have been painted to enhance the beauty of the background.

52
RAM CHANDRIKA

The only single copy of this hand written illustrated manuscript in the
Mandi style of painting is present in the collection of 'Himachal Lok Sanskriti
Sansthan' which has been established by Chandramani Kashyap. And this is
the handwritten illustrated manuscript of original 'Ram Chandrika' of Acharya
Kashav Das. In the manuscript the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, ninth
and eleventh parts have illustrations related to the text at the end of the
respective parts.

In the sixth part some portions have been left blank and it becomes
clear from this aspect that the manuscript could not be completed due to
some reasons. The illustration in this manuscript related to different subjects
are as following:

1st part- Entrance of Vishwamitra in Awadhpuri

2nd part- Dialogue between Dashrath-Vashishth

3rd part- Swanwvar of Sita

4th part- Dialogue between Vanasur-Ravan

5th part- Description of destroying of Dhanush

6th part- Description of Rama's marriage

9th part- Rama goes to forest

11th part- (i) Dialogue between Rama and Shurpnakha

(ii) Episode where Lakshman cuts nose of Shurpnakha

The imagery present in this style depicts specialties which are very
similar to the court paintings present in the quarter of the 18th century. For
example the illustration of King Dashrath is similar to imagery of King
Surmansen of Mandi. The king is sitting down with his knees folded and the
turban (Pagdi) which was prevalent at that time depict the fashion and style
which was in vogue during the reign of king Surmaset (1781-1799). Apart
from this the shape of romantic long eyes prevalent during that time is also
present in the illustration.

53
 Apart from this there are triangular patterns of points on the female
illustrations i.e. (Sita, Sakhi, Daasi, Shurpnakha) among clothes, and the
ornaments of forehead, ear, neck, hands are similar to those which can be
observed in miniature paintings of this period. Dating to the period of around
1790, this illustrated script has some specialties which are similar to the folk
art in spite of being paintings of the royal status. Sufficient background is
visible in these illustrations. The flat arched door of Ram's hut and simple
illustration depict the specialties of folk art. The state was going through
different political, social and financial upheavals and these get reflected in the
illustrative styles in these illustrated manuscripts.

Three illustrated manuscripts are available at the state library in Solan

and these are in a bad shape. These there scripts have been gifted to the
state library in Solan by King Durga Singh and these are all related to the
Kangra Style painting. On the style of painting these seem to be of the period
dating around to 1850. Three illustrations have been found in one script which
is of the size 11X7.5 Cm. Many pages have been left blank for different
illustrations and paintings and seem these have not been completed due to
lack of time. The topics of this script based on Sri mad Bhagwat Gita are as
follows Sanjay and Drithrashtra Sri Laxmi pressing feet of Vishnu Bhishma
Pitamah on the bed of arrows.^°

SANJAY AND DRITHRASHTRA

The Sri mad Bhagwad Gita contains on pages 101 and 102 a centre of
rectangular illustration of 9X5.5cm. on the left Sanjay is sitting in front of
Drithrashtra. The rectangular floor is painted orange. The background has
dark green and the upper corner is painted orange. The illustration is covered
on the four sides by a violet border decorated by image of a creeper plant.

SRI LAXMI PRESSING FEET OF VISHNU

On the pages 289, and centre of 290, blue colored Vishnu is shown
lying on Sheshnaga in Kshir Sagar. Vishnu is attired in yellow and Lakshmi
sitting near feet of Vishnu. Four arms of Vishnu have been shown which
contain Shankh, Chakra, Gada and lotus. A lotus sprouting from Vishnu's
navel shows four armed Brahma sitting on it. Orange, red and dark green

54
colors have been used in the background. Golden color has been used on the
borders. In the frontal portion the rectangular Kshir Sagar has been decorated
with large numbers of lotus flower.^^

BHISHMA PITAMAH ON THE BED OF ARROWS

In the third and final painting of the manuscript, Bhishma Pitamaha is

shown lying on bed of arrows. On the left side Arjuna has been shown
wearing orange lower attire, and he is shown striking an arrow on the ground
from where water has erupted and the water stream is directed towards face
of Bhishma. Sri Krishna is shown as Vishnu. Garuda is shown as the vehicle
Vishnu. Dark green and orange colors have been shown in the background.^^

SRIMAD BHAGWAD GITA

After the 10th part painting of 'Vishwaroop- Darshan' has been

illustrated in this scripture and it is in the centre of manuscript. The writer of
this manuscript is Kashmiri Narayan Dass and the creator is Anand Ram. In
the illustration, Arjun has placed is bow and arrow at Sri Krishna's feet and is
requesting Lord Krishna with folded hands to participate in the war. Sri
Krishna is showing an image of himself where he wields a number of
weapons. This image of Krishna with ten arms is really magnificent. The blue
colored Krishna is shown wearing yellow attire and the color of the weaponry
is golden. All the faces have been painted with separate colors and all of them
are shown wearing crowns. Arjun is standing with his hand folded, attired in a
violet lower outfit. The background is of dark blue color. The border has been
decorated with number of flowers and creeper motifs which are golden
colored. This illustrated manuscript is preserved in the state library at Solan
and the skill of the artist is very close to the style of miniature paintings.

GAYATRI DEVI

The third illustrated manuscript present in the state library of Solan in

Himachal Pradesh is based on 'Gayatri Devi'. This script contains 148 pages
and five paintings or illustrations which have been created by a single artist as
these given a reflection of repeated. Limited use of colors gives an indication
of influence of folk art in this illustration.

55
 In the beginning of the script an illustration of Gayatri Devi has been
illustrated in which the Goddess is sitting in Kamlasan and sword, kamandal,
necklace (mala) and a bleu pillow four arms respectively and is attired in an
orange outfit. On the left side a Sadhu wearing an orange dhoti is standing
with his hands folded. A blue border around the illustration shows hurriedness
of the artist to complete the work fast.

The second illustration has been made after page 22 in the script. In
this painting, the four armed goddess is shown in the centre and two sadhus
each are shown on left and right side of the goddess who are standing with
hands folded in reverence. The sadhu on the left side is wearing an orange
dhoti. The sadhu standing on the right side is wearing a yellow dhoti and is a
young sadhu without a beard. Green color has been used in the background
and the foreground uses red color. There is a lack of delicacy in the illustration
in terms of color and line scheme.

The third illustration on page 47, shows the four armed goddess in
Kamalasan wearing an orange Lehnga and is sitting while resting on a blue
pillow. In the four-arms the goddess wields a sword, Kalash, flowers and
round mala respectively. A light blue color has been used to paint the body of
the goddess. A bearded sadhu, wearing a sky blue dhoti is standing on the lift
side of the goddess with his hands folded. Green colors have been used in
the background and red color has been used in the foreground.

The fourth illustration on page 61 shows the goddess sitting on a pink

lotus and is attired in an orange Lehnga. Light blue color has been used to
paint the body of the goddess. In the four amis the goddess has Shankh,
chakra, Gada and flowers each. A red border is used to decorate the
illustration on its four sides. In this illustration also a sadhu has been shown
standing with his hands folded. The last illustration on page 108 has been
created on the topic of 'Panchmukhi Hans Sawar Devi'. In this illustration the
12 armed goddess is sitting on a Kamlasan established on a swan (hans). All
the five faces of the goddess show three eyes (Treenetra). The face has been
painted with white, orange and light blue color. A large part of the body does
not use any color. The goddess is shown wearing an orange Lehnga with
golden embroidery work. The body of Sabhu is colorless, who is shown

56
wearing a dhoti and is standing with folded hands. Green color has been used
in the background and the foreground uses red color. The illustration has
been painted with blue color on all sides around the border. Light and dark
lines used on the borders indicate the hurriedness of the artist. A shioka is
there at the end of the script as following

^ ^ ^ I N ^ Mcidlef ^HHIklH | | ^ J f j I

W T ^ Rj^^lofi ^ Mi^HdH ^?TT ^fcpft ^ t ^ *i^lr^11

The manuscripts found in Shimla district are on a range of topics and

subjects including on history, Vedas, Purans, music, religious studies, Tantra,
Mantra, Yantra etc. Apart from Rajpurohits, and Scholars of Himachal sages
and scholars from Garhwal and other parts of the country have contributed in
writing these manuscripts. Before independence as illiteracy was prevalent
here many scholars invited Garhwali Brahmins to write these manuscripts.
The scholars inherited the skill of manuscripts from their ancestors, either
received knowledge from scholars who came to Himachal from Bengal, Kashi,
Kashmir, Punjab and other states, or learned about manuscripts if they went
to study out side the state. Some people from selected families even went to
Lahore to study. ^"^

The manuscripts available in district Shimla are on different topics and

subject like:

VEDAS

Vedprashnottarmala, Samveda Samhita, Dhanurveda Samhita, Baan-

Vidya Shastra

PURANAS

Markandey Puran, Garuda Puran, Bhavishya Mahapuran, Srimad

Vishnu Puran, kaiki Puran Vaman Puran, Varaah Puran etc.

AYURVEDA

Sri Ranvir Prakash, Nadi Prakash, Shangdhar Samhita, Ayurveda

Bhaskar, Patanjal Yoga Sutram, Panchvaidya, Sukhnand Vinod, Shangdhar
Yadgarudiyadipika, Vaidyamanotsav, Vaidjeevnam, Vanaushadihi,

57
Brihnnighantu Ratnakar, Nasha Khandan Panchasa, Rasrajmahodhadhi
Meghnilas, Dhanwantri besides Nadi Gyanam Ark Prakash, Nageshnar Ras,
Jwaransh Ras, Navjeevan Ras and Chinta mani Ras and the Methodology to
prepare these.

ASTROLOGY (JYOTISH)

For general and special astrology different scripts like Jyotish Sarni,
Makrand Sarni, Karm Vipak Samhita, Tajik Neel Kanthi, Garb Kundii, Janam
Kundii, Lagan Kundii, Garbh Manorama, Jyotish Granth, Hanuman Jyotish,
Muhurat Chintamani, Panchang, Ramal Jyotish, Bhrigu Samhita Mahashatra,
Kerali Prashnratnya, Jyotishyam Sangrah, Tatkalik Bhrigu Prashan, Jyotish
Shastra Sopaan, Samudrik Shastram, Brihat Muhurat Sindhu, Hora Shastram,
Aayu Nirnaya, Jatak Chandrika, Prashan Chandeshwari, Prashan Bela,
Panchang Deepika, Shambhu hora Prakash, Tajik Bhushan, Choolichakra,
Jyotish Ganit, Prasooti Lagna vichar, Prashan Vidya, Lagan, Swapna
Pariksha etc.

YANTRA, MANTRA AND TANTRA

Within this are Sarvkilak Mantra, Shambhu Bhakshan Mantra, Sukhad

Prasav mantra, Sukhad prasav tantra, Bhoot-Prait, Dankini-Pishachika Mantra
Tantra, Rath Jwar Nashak Mantra, Mirgi Nashak yantra, Sarv raksha Mantra
of Hanuman ji, Yantra to destroy insects and pests in farms, Naarsingh veer
yantra, sir, peeda nashak yantra, Balak raksha yantra, annvridhi yantra, Shaal
nashak mantra, Hanumanji ka sarvraksha mantra, mantras for snakebite,
toothache, and jaundice, Tuisi dharan mantra, Shani Saadhe sati mantra
etc.^^

STOTRA

Amongst the different stotras are Tara bhairav, Mahakaal, Indrakshi,

Nrisingh, Rudraksh, Aparajita, Chakrapooja, Baglamukhi, tarini Shatnam,
Srigayatri Hriday, Saptshaloki Durga, Navgrah, Aditya Hriday, Santangopal,
Shiv, Ganga, Kundalini, Bala Tripur Sundari, Panchmukhi hauman and bhaum
etc.

58
VAASTU

Vaastukala main vaastusarini, vaastu prathistha Sangrah, vaastu

Shastra, Vishwakarma Prakash, Manuscripts related to vasstu mandal etc.

DHARAMSHASTRA

Literature related to Hindu religion, and related works like Nirnaya

Singhu, Dharam singhu, Premsagar, Sukhsagar, Ramayana, Mahabharata,
Amritsagar, Shaneshwar puja Vidhi, Satyanarayan vrat katha, Tuisi vrat
katha, Aastyagni jap vridhi, stree dharm, manusmriti, pavitrata mahatmya,
narmedh Yagya padhitti, Navrattan vivah padhitti, vidhwa vivah padhitti,
Malmaas ke pujan kee vidhi, chaag ball vidhi, shadakshri pujan vidhi,
Radheshyam Ramayan, Kaak Vishtha patan shanty, Kadasanipujan sangrah,
Paarvati Parinayam, Naag Leela, Brahm Vivah vidhi, Shudra Vivah vidhi,
Varnashram Paddhitti etc.

GITA

Amongst these are Panchratni Gita, Narad Gita, sripurushotam Gita,

Arjun Gita Pandav and manuscripts on Yam Gita.

HISTORY

On this subject are manuscripts related to the genealogies of Rajas

and Ranas, treaties, accounts books (Bahi-Khate), revenue related records,
records related to the administrative, religious and social fonnats and aspects
of Gods and Goddess and the royals.

DARSHAN (PHILOSOPHY)

Chanakya niti saar, Nyaya darshan, Vidhurniti, Shukraniti and

significant manuscripts like Rakshas Kavya are also available.

MUSIC

Manuscripts related to Raag Darshan and Raagmalas.

KAVYA (POETRY)

Kavya Muktavali, Kavyadeepika and manuscripts related to Bihari

Satsai. Other subjects: arts, Kamshastra, some manuscripts related to
geography are also available.

59
 The manuscripts available in district Shimla are largely in languages
like Sanskrit, Hindi or in local dialects and most of them are written in local
scripts like Tankri, Pabuchi, Pandvani, Chandvani, Bhattakshri etc. These
scripts were developed by scholars due to lack of major scripts here, hence
there are few people only who have knowledge of these scripts. Besides
these scripts Tankri has been largely prevalent here and was used with slight
alterations throughout the state and was used to write local dialect.

60
 END NOTES

1. Handa Om Chand, Pahari Chitrakala: Kishori Lai Vaid, (1999) Delhi

2. Ohri Vishav Chandra Art of Himachal: Page 199

3. Khandalvala, Pahari Miniature Painting: (1958) Bombay

4. Mitta! Jagdish, Illustrated Manuscript of Madhu Maiti: Lekh, Lalit Kala

No. 3-4 (1956-59) Delhi

5. Karunabharan: Gopal Krishna, Lekh Kalanidhi, Bharat Kala Bhawan

Banaras, Varsh-1

6. Goswami B.N., An illustrated manuscript of the Sunder Shringar from

Kullu: Lekh Ruplekha volume no. 1 and 2,

7. Archar, Indian Painting from the Punjab Hills: (1773) volume-first,

figure-37, 38-39

8. National Museum, Janpath New Delhi

9. Himachal state Library, Solan, Himachal Pradesh

10. State Museum, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh

11. Bharat Kala Bhawan, Banaras

12. http://www.namami.Org/resourcecentres.htm#nor

13. Raman Tuisi, Himachal Pradesh Abhilekh or Pandulipiyan, 2012

14. Goswamy Karuna, Kashmiri Painting Assimilation and Diffusion;

Produnction and Patronage, Indian Institute of Advanced Study,
Shimla.

15. NMM website, www.namami.org.

61