KADAPA: As part of its efforts to preserve the rich heritage of Telugu literature for posterity, the CP Brown Research Centre for Languages in Yogi Vemana University (YVU) has digitised 300 palm-leaf manuscripts, which are more than 500-year-old. The centre will soon publish the ancient manuscripts online for the benefit of students and research scholars.
“The very objective of establishing the research centre is to conserve the ancient Telugu literary works for future generations. We have completed digitisation of 300 rare palm-leaf manuscripts so far. Our efforts have been recognised in the form of YSR Lifetime Achievement Award,” said YVU Vice-Chancellor Prof M Suryakalavathi and research centre incharge Mula Mallikarjuna Reddy.
The centre has a rich collection of palm-leaf manuscripts dating back to several centuries. The treasure trove of the centre includes a copper plate inscription from Rajasthan dating back to the 11th century, more than 1,000 palm-leaf manuscripts, 500 handwritten scripts on handmade paper of 200-year-old, 40 copper coins of the regime of Mayana Nawabs of Cuddapah, seven ghantams (stylus used for writing on palm leaves) and handwritten volumes of famous litterateurs Puttaparthi Narayanacharyulu, Janamanchi Seshadri Sarma, Divakarla Venkatavadhani and others. Several other objects of historical importance are also preserved in the centre.
Explaining the process of preserving ancient palm-leaf manuscripts, Dr Chintakunta Siva Reddy and Bhuthapuri Gopalakrishna, research assistants, said manuscripts are cleansed with smooth brush immersed in surgical spirit and lemongrass oil to ensure that they are not damaged due to fungus or insects.
Later, they are sorted out and preserved using the latest technology. “The rich content of manuscripts is being published in the form of books so that it can be used for reference by research scholars,” they said.
The centre has proved to be an invaluable knowledge source to several research scholars, who got their doctorates in different topics.
The AYUSH Department has used the content in some of the ancient palm-leaf manuscripts in the centre for its research, which helped it develop new Ayurvedic medicines. It has been communicated to the centre in a letter by the AYUSH Department, they added.