Video seriesWritten Artefacts of Nepal

26 July 2024

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 deals with cleaning measures that can be carried out for manuscripts and artefacts.

One of the most dangerous enemies of a manuscript is dust: It provides nesting material for insects, and it is an incubator for mould spores and a focus for acid precipitation. In the new episode of his video series on the ‘Written Artefacts of Nepal – Preservation and Documentation’, Bidur Bhattarai shows how this problem can be dealt with. Using soft brushes or a variable speed control HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum removes substances such as dust, mould, and insect and rodent remnants that might eventually damage manuscript folios or that might be transferred to other folios during use.

‘Written Artefacts of Nepal – Preservation and Documentation’ is a series of short films that offer brief and accessible introductions to a range of aspects of the preservation of Nepalese written artefacts. The videos showcase their diversity and uniqueness in terms of writing, supports, materials, forms, and texts. The CSMC has been engaged in safeguarding the valuable manuscript collections of Nepal since 2018. The project entitled ‘Preserving the Written Cultural Heritage of Nepal’ is generously supported by the German Foreign Office and the Gerda Henkel Foundation.