Episode 13Written Artefacts of Nepal

11 September 2024

Nepal is home to exceptionally diverse manuscript collections, both in terms of scripts and languages as well as materials used. In the new episode of his video series, Bidur Bhattarai shows how to wrap manuscripts in cotton cloth.

The video series on the ‘Written Artefacts of Nepal – Preservation and Documentation’ shows how valuable manuscripts can be cared for, and how they should be stored and protected in order to preserve them. In this episode, Bidur Bhattarai demonstrates how to wrap manuscripts in a cotton cover.

After a manuscript has been cleaned (episode 11) and wrapped in a piece of lokta paper (episode 12), it should additionally be wrapped up in an unbleached muslin cover, matching the size of the manuscript. The sides and binding string of such covers must be smoothly sewn. After sewing the unbleached muslin, the covers are washed using detergents that do not contain any chemicals or perfumes harmful to manuscripts. The dried muslin covers are then ironed smoothly. As impressions from folds or wrinkles could over time be transferred to the manuscript, great care must be taken when wrapping the manuscript to avoid unnecessary folds or wrinkles.

Wrapping the manuscript in such a cover adds a layer of protection against dust, light, insects, fluctuating temperatures, and humidity-related issues. The cotton cloth buffers fragile manuscript edges, helps to hold together loosely bound or unbound sheets of the manuscript, and lends some support for the safe handling of the manuscript.