Video seriesWritten Artefacts of Nepal

12 December 2023

Nepal is home to exceptionally diverse manuscript collections, both in terms of scripts and languages as well as materials used. The new episode of Bidur Bhattarai’s video series shows a particularly striking example of this: two manuscripts from the 18th century that were produced with snakeskin.

When researching or preserving manuscripts, everyone may encounter different kinds of surprising and unique materials. Finding snakeskin in a manuscript, however, is a truly extraordinary occurrence. In the new episode of the video series ‘Written Artefacts of Nepal – Preservation and Documentation’, Bidur Bhattarai presents two manuscripts including snakeskin and shows how they are being preserved.

The first example of a manuscript that includes a piece of snakeskin is a copy of the Sārasvatīprakṛyā pertaining to grammar. The text was copied by an individual called Bhājumani (Mr Mani) in Nepālasaṃvat 904 (‘Nepal Era’, corresponding to 1784 CE). The manuscript is written in Sanskrit using Devanāgarī script. The second example is a manuscript containing a copy of the Harivaṃśa. The work is considered to be a supplementary part of the Mahābhārata – one of the two major Sanskrit epics. The manuscript is written in Sanskrit using Newari script and is dated Nepālasaṃvat 835 (1715 CE). Both manuscripts are now being kept and preserved in the Āśā Saphūkuthi (‘Āśā Archives’).

During the preservation process, each folio of both manuscripts is first cleaned using a Hake brush with bamboo handles. Where necessary, some folios are then cleaned with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum. After cleaning, the manuscripts are wrapped in a piece of locally produced acid-free lokta paper. Then the manuscripts are wrapped up again in a plain unbleached cotton cover matching the size of the manuscript. Acid-free customised E-Flute phase boxes (‘archival boxes’) are crafted. Furthermore, additional ‘envelopes’ made of acid-free lokta paper are produced to safely keep the pieces of snakeskin.

Inserting pieces of snakeskin in manuscripts seems to be a rather rare practice. The reasons for this might be religious or related to tradition. Another possible explanation is that snakeskin is repellent to insects, rodents, and the like – thus, it could also help to preserve the manuscripts. Which explanation is correct remains a matter of scientific investigation.