Sanchipat

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Sanchipat
Also known asSanchi manuscript
Place of originAssam, 1st-7th century CE
Language(s)Assamese, Ahom
MaterialBark of Aquilaria malaccensis
SizeTypically 9-27" by 3-18"
FormatStrung, as palm-leaf manuscript
ScriptAssamese alphabet, Ahom script
IlluminationPainting of Assam
Exemplars

Sanchipat[a] (Assamese: সাঁচিপাত, sāncipāt/sān̐cipāta, lit. 'sanchi leaves'; pronounced "bancipat"[1][needs IPA]) or sanchi manuscripts (Assamese: sanchi puthi) are Assamese-culture manuscripts made from from the bark of the sānci aloe tree, Aquilaria malaccensis. Strips or 'leaves' of bark (agarutvak)[2][3] are centrally perforated and strung together, similar to a palm-leaf manuscript. Sanchipat are used prominently in traditional Assamese literature, Hindu texts, and Assamese manuscript painting. The manuscripts' material construction is pest-resistant and resistant to decomposition.

History

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Per Dr. V. Jeyaraj of Government Museum, Chennai, sanchipat was used as early as 15 CE.[1]: 29–30  The earliest accounts of sanchipat are from the 7th century CE: it is mentioned in Harshacharita, wherein Bhaskaravarman of Kamarupa gifted Harshavardhana a sanchipat "the hue of the ripe pink cucumber;" and in the Āryamañjuśrī­mūlakalpa.[1][4]: xiii 

The zenith of sanchipat production was during the 15th-16th century spread of the Ekasarana Dharma by Srimanta Sankardev. The central holy text, the Bhagavat of Sankardev, is a key devotional object for altars. A cottage industry of sanchipat producers and scribes emerged to meet the demand for devotional texts. Koch Bihar and the Ahom kingdom both patronized this cottage industry.[5]

Cotton paper (tulapat) was a locally produced alternative to sanchipat, typically used for lay uses like letters and bureaucratic record-keeping, dating as early as the 16th century.[4]: xvi 

With the introduction of mass-produced paper, sanchipat production declined, and the cottage industry died out.[5]

Construction

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Traditional box for holding sanchipat

Stripped bark from Aquilaria malaccensis is utilized based on thickness. Thin strips constitute the 'leaves' of the sanchipat, to be perforated and strung into the main manuscript chain. Particularly large and thin pieces are kept for high-quality manuscripts. Thick strips are used as covers to the book sanchipat. Small or unusual pieces are utilized for personal records, called beti-pāt (lit. 'attendant leaves').[4]: xv 

Leaves are typically 9-27" long by 3-18" wide rectangle. The strips are repeatedly soaked and sun-dried to remove pests, using a solution of aloe vera, chalcanthite, and Croton tiglium seed to pull gum from the bark. The treated bark is scraped and burnished smooth. The leaves are then sized with mung bean paste. Traditionally, the leaves are dyed with orpiment and bordered with vermilion, adhered with the gum from Aegle marmelos. This coloring is called hengul-haital. Leaves are finally perforated and strung on a cord.[1]: 30 [5][6]

The application of chalcanthite (copper(II) sulfate), orpiment (arsenic trisulfide) and vermilion (mercury sulfide) make the manuscripts pest-resistant and antifungal. Orpiment and vermilion are toxic to humans.[5][6]

Mahi

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Mahi is a traditional herbal ink used for sanchipat inscriptions. Compared to contemporaneous iron gall ink, mahi is non-corrosive and anti-fungal.[7]

The ink is composed of a mix of fruits, bark and herbs, varying with availability:

The selected mixture is soaked in cow urine, out of the light during the winter. A source of iron oxide is added: typically hot rusty iron, but the blood of the eel Ophichthys cuchia or the shark catfish Pangasius sutchi are also used. When the iron oxide is added, the mixture darkens with the creation of iron-polyphenols. The darkened mixture is finally percolated through a porous earthenware pot to yield mahi.[7]

Mahi may also contain the mucus of earthworms; wood ash; and dew.[1]: 31  Per Hemchandra Goswami, Sukhaamphaa received a sanchipat from Koch Bihar that was written in invisible ink made from the phosphorescent mucus, only legible in the dark. [4]: xvii 

Uses

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Buranjis

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Main article: Buranji

The buranjis are the chronicles of the Ahom kingdom. Also called vamsāvali, they were written in the Ahom language by Ahom religion priests, by decree of the Ahom dynasty.

Satria buranjis are chronicles of satras, religious centers of the Assamese Ekasarana Dharma sect of Vaishnavism.[4]: xx–xxiii 

Genealogy

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Unwrapped sanchipat

The vamsāvali is a sanchipat genealogy book. Traditionally, Assamese families would not only chronicle ancestry, but personal details as well. The buranji chronicles of the Ahom kingdom are sometimes called vamsāvali.[4]: xx–xxi 

Religious texts

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Sanchipat are the traditionally favored manuscript for copies of Hindu religious texts in Ekasarana Dharma. The Bhagavat of Sankardev is a required part of devotional shrines, both in satra religious centers and in family shrines.[4]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ also sancipat[1], sanchi-pat

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Jeyaraj, V. (2007), "Care of Archival Materials and Manuscripts" (PDF), New Series - Generation Section-Chemical Conservation, vol. 12 (2 ed.), Government Museum, Chennai
  2. ^ A Brief History of the University, University of Kerala, archived from the original on 2025-02-19
  3. ^ Babu, D. Ramesh (2013-04-03), Foreword, NIIMH-AMAR, AYUSH Manuscripts Advanced Repository, National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Goswami, Hemchandra (1930), Descriptive Catalogue of Assamese Manuscripts (PDF), University of Calcutta
  5. ^ a b c d Dutta, Robin K.; Ali, Asadulla A.; Goswami, Barsha R.; Ligira, Niranjan (2022-12-10), "Sāncipāt: a popular manuscript writing base of early Assam, North East India", Current Science Association, Current Science, vol. 123, no. 11, Indian Academy of Sciences, doi:10.18520/CS/V123/I11/1359-1364
  6. ^ a b Dutta, Robin K. (2023), "Traditional science in pigments and recipe of painting woodcarving in medieval Assam, India.", Journal of Coating Technology & Research, vol. 20, no. 5, Springer Nature Germany, pp. 1595–1609, doi:10.1007/s11998-023-00765-8
  7. ^ a b Goswami, Barsha R; Das, Monoi K.; Das, Pranjal P.; Medhi, Tapas; Ramteke, Anand; Hazarika, Simanta; Dutta, Robin K. (2017-02-10), "Mahi: a unique traditional herbal ink of early Assam.", Current Science, vol. 112, no. 3, Indian Academy of Sciences, pp. 591–595, doi:10.18520/cs/v112/i03/591-595