Bundle of 350-year-old palm leaf manuscripts goes lacking from Kerala museum

Express News Service

KOCHI:  A bundle of palm leaf manuscripts courting again at the very least 350 years and belonging to Paliam Museum at Chendamangalam in Kochi has gone lacking, leaving authorities stumped. The lacking merchandise was among the many 30 bundles of uncommon palm leaf manuscripts given for conservation functions to Muziris Heritage Project (MHP), India’s largest heritage conservation venture of which the museum can also be an element. They are thought-about to be of archaeological significance.

Making issues worse, the unique paper figuring out and cataloguing the gathering of the 30 bundles has additionally gone lacking. This means none can determine the contents of the lacking manuscript. The identification and cataloguing work had been carried out by famend scholar late Ok Kunjunni Raja.

The manuscripts had been among the many a number of artefacts that have been saved within the Muziris Heritage area and broken through the 2018 flood. Later, a staff led by M Narayana Namboothiri, the artwork restorer who headed the Muziris Conservation Lab, restored them. Following this, the 30 bundles, together with Kunjunni Raja’s paper manuscript and a group of uncommon letters, have been formally handed over to MHP for conservation.

Museum supervisor seeks govt motion

“When the Muziris Heritage Project handed the rare palm leaf manuscripts back to us, there were only 29 bundles. One bundle was missing. We reckon someone who knew the content of the rare manuscript stole it,” alleged Krishnabalan Paliath, supervisor of Paliam Eswara Seva Trust, which manages Paliam kovilakam (palace). He stated they’ve been knocking on the doorways of MHP for the previous two-and-half years to get the misplaced palm leaf manuscript again.

The 30 bundles include the Ramayana, some parts of Mahabharata, particulars of Paliam land, uncommon ayurveda texts amongst others. “It’s difficult to know what the missing bundle contains until we find Kunujunni Raja’s paper manuscript,” he stated.

When contacted, MHP MD Manoj Kumar Ok admitted that one bundle of the manuscript was lacking. “I have submitted a report to the tourism director. It is now up to the department to take action and recover the manuscript,” he stated. Kumar stated Muziris Heritage Project has copies of Kunjunni Raja’s doc. Krishnabalan Paliath stated officers of the tourism division and MHP are but to grasp the seriousness of the incident. “We want urgent action from the government to find the missing manuscript and return it to the museum,” he stated.

KOCHI:  A bundle of palm leaf manuscripts courting again at the very least 350 years and belonging to Paliam Museum at Chendamangalam in Kochi has gone lacking, leaving authorities stumped. The lacking merchandise was among the many 30 bundles of uncommon palm leaf manuscripts given for conservation functions to Muziris Heritage Project (MHP), India’s largest heritage conservation venture of which the museum can also be an element. They are thought-about to be of archaeological significance.

Making issues worse, the unique paper figuring out and cataloguing the gathering of the 30 bundles has additionally gone lacking. This means none can determine the contents of the lacking manuscript. The identification and cataloguing work had been carried out by famend scholar late Ok Kunjunni Raja.

The manuscripts had been among the many a number of artefacts that have been saved within the Muziris Heritage area and broken through the 2018 flood. Later, a staff led by M Narayana Namboothiri, the artwork restorer who headed the Muziris Conservation Lab, restored them. Following this, the 30 bundles, together with Kunjunni Raja’s paper manuscript and a group of uncommon letters, have been formally handed over to MHP for conservation.

Museum supervisor seeks govt motion

“When the Muziris Heritage Project handed the rare palm leaf manuscripts back to us, there were only 29 bundles. One bundle was missing. We reckon someone who knew the content of the rare manuscript stole it,” alleged Krishnabalan Paliath, supervisor of Paliam Eswara Seva Trust, which manages Paliam kovilakam (palace). He stated they’ve been knocking on the doorways of MHP for the previous two-and-half years to get the misplaced palm leaf manuscript again.

The 30 bundles include the Ramayana, some parts of Mahabharata, particulars of Paliam land, uncommon ayurveda texts amongst others. “It’s difficult to know what the missing bundle contains until we find Kunujunni Raja’s paper manuscript,” he stated.

When contacted, MHP MD Manoj Kumar Ok admitted that one bundle of the manuscript was lacking. “I have submitted a report to the tourism director. It is now up to the department to take action and recover the manuscript,” he stated. Kumar stated Muziris Heritage Project has copies of Kunjunni Raja’s doc. Krishnabalan Paliath stated officers of the tourism division and MHP are but to grasp the seriousness of the incident. “We want urgent action from the government to find the missing manuscript and return it to the museum,” he stated.