An attempt is being made to preserve and digitise rare palm leaf manuscripts and copper plate inscriptions at the Oriental Archives Research Centre and Gallery set up by the National Trust for Computation and Archival of Oriental Media here.
The centre, located at Sumukhapriya building in Purshotham Nagar, has a large collection of palm leaf manuscripts, copper plate inscriptions and traditional paintings, including Kavi Kale. Yet another attraction is the display of bronze masks of ‘daivas’ (deities) of Tulunadu.
Rooms here are air-conditioned and have machines that control humidity. This is essential for the preservation of manuscripts. The centre is managed by its Director S.A. Krishnaiah, an expert in folklore and history. A few years ago, he was approached by a few persons and organisations who sought help to preserve palm leaf and other manuscripts, which they found difficult to maintain.
“That is when I got the idea of starting a centre. I approached a few like-minded persons and we formed a Trust,” he said.
Mr. Krishnaiah is a postgraduate in folklore and has a post-graduate diploma in epigraphy. He has digitised seven volumes of Tulu texts, including Tulu Bhagavata, for the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy.
“One of the aims of the centre is to digitise rare manuscripts in Unicode characters and make them available for interested persons and researchers in the country and abroad. In the second phase, we will make them available on Internet,” he said. The centre plans to start short-term courses in conservation and digitisation of manuscripts. “We want youngsters to take interest in manuscripts. This will help protect our rich heritage,” he said.
Mr. Krishnaiah has surveyed 809 manuscripts in Udupi district. Nearly 60 per cent were written in Tulu-Malayalam.
“If people give us rare manuscripts, we will preserve it at the centre. If they want to preserve it at home, then we will tell them on how to do so,” he said.
Published - September 28, 2014 11:27 pm IST
