Birch Bark Manuscripts : Salient Character :
Antiquity
Centuries ago, in many countries of Europe and North America, birch bark had been occasionally employed in writing short notes and letters. Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris has in its collection two letters on birch bark, one dated 28 June 1647 and the other dated October 1676. The earliest known manuscript on birch bark has been found at Khotan in Central Asia, and from extant records and literary descriptions it is now certain that this material was widely used in Central Asia and in the northern region of India in much earlier period of History. The historian of Alexander the Great, Quintus Curtius Rufus, while enumerating the various curiousities of India made the following statement: "Tender bark of trees takes the signs of letters just like sheets of papyrus". This statement of Curtius dates back to the 1st Century A.D. but the information which it provides dates back to the time of Alexander's invasion, that is, the 4th Century B.C. and since the material was widely used at the time of Alexander's invasion it can be well assumed that the practice had been of much older origin. In India, the more recent manuscripts on birch bark in larger number come generally from Kashmir and other Himalayan regions, where birch trees grow in abundance. It is obvious that the use of birch bark, which in Indian language is known as 'Bhurjapatra' continued for a long time, even after paper was introduced in India by the Arabs in the early part of the 13th Century A.D. It is also obvious that it was introduced very early in history, although very few specimens of the earlier period are available, because of the deteriorating effect of damp climatic condition of the Himalayan region.
Salient Features
Birch bark sheets are collected from the inner side of the bark tree. The sheets are composed of a number of very thin layers. The sheets are peeled off and dried before writing on them. The sheets are delicate, but quite strong in texture. Writing is done generally with black carbon or vegetable pigment. Originally the birch bark manuscripts were in the form of rolls, composed of sheets held together at the two sides by thread stitched within one centimeter of the edge. In appearance the rolls were like papyrus rolls, and the 'book' so created was like a ‘volumen' of classical antiquity. One such manuscript of the 'Bhagavad Gita Preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris is precisely a roll of birch bark, 1760 mm in length and 45 mm. in width.
Causes and Nature of Deterioration
Most of the ancient manuscripts which have come from Central Asia are in fairly good condition. The dry climatic condition of that region as well as the method of storage in stupas has contributed greatly to their present state of preservation. On the other hand, most of the manuscripts which have come from Kashmir and other Himalayan regions, having been subjected to natural dampness for a longtime, have suffered a great deal. The bark does not get softened by water, but under damp condition for a long time. The sheets get stuck together. When an attempt to open the manuscript is made, the sheets often crumble to dust. Thus, dampness is one of the worst enemies of birch bark manuscripts. Also, the bark is made up of very thin skin-like layers which at times fall apart along the natural line of cleavage. The damage generally begins at the free edge of the sheet against which the finger is rubbed when turning over the sheets; and it easily spreads through the whole piece of bark sheet.
Birch bark is insect resistant. In an experiment conducted in the National Archives of India it has been found that birch bark contains 15-20% of solid material, which is a mixture of methyl salicylate, tannin and wax. The resistivity of this material is attributed to the presence of methyl salicylate in it.
Repair and Maintenance
In 1948 Kashmir Government passed on to the National Archives of India the Gil git Collection consisting of 1800 manuscript sheets of birch bark (Himalayan birch - Petulant Cleopatra). The sheets varied in size from 27" x 25" to 9"x 2", and were in a very poor, brittle condition. The repair work carried out in the National Archives of India, has been very satisfactory and can be considered as an acceptable process of repair of birch bark manuscripts.
The process was as follows:
The sheets were repaired with Chiffon gauge and flour paste. When the repaired sheets were partially dried, these were kept under pressure between glass pieces. When fully dry, the result was very satisfactory. It was found that the flakes on the top layers, which had come out from the bark, got very nicely stuck to the next layer, the paste entering the layers through the torn and broken places. After repair the sheets were guarded with handmade paper, gathered, sewn and bound into volumes. Manuscripts whose pages have got stuck, can be first separated by exposure to water vapor before undertaking any required repair process. The ideal storage condition for birch bark manuscript collection is similar to the one required for palm leaf manuscripts, even though the former is less affected by variation of temperature,and humidity and also insect menace as compared to palm-leaf manuscripts.
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