Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c8.s1.t1.1

c8.s1.t1.1

Before the advent of paper, which was probably introduced in India, at the earliest, in the 12th century, palm-leaf, coarse cloth and wooden panels served as writing and painting materials. But once paper was introduced, it gradually ousted palm-leaf. The increasing cost,³ difficulties of transportation from the South and Burma, the troublesome methods of writing on palm-leaf, and the political turmoil resulting from the internecine warfare between the Rājpūt states, on the one hand, and the Muslim invaders on the other, all combined to make the use of palm-leaf almost prohibitive. Yet again, paper, which probably came from Central Asia and Persia, was more easily available, and the burnished paper served as an excellent writing material. This easy availability of paper appealed greatly to the Jain writers and painters, though palm-leaf, which had served as writing material for centuries past, continued to be used on a much lesser scale for some time, till paper finally replaced it altogether. The art of writing on palm-leaf has been forgotten to such an extent that we are unable to say by what methods the writers made ink stay on the smooth palm-leaf surface, and we are unable to confirm which inkmaking formula from the several available is the simplest and best.