Jain Miniature Paintings from Western India c8.s1.t1.4

c8.s1.t1.4

It has been found from experience that the palm-leaves as they grow old develop a tendency to affect adversely cloth or paper coming in their contact. Muni Puṇya-vijayajī⁴ has observed that in the palm-leaf manuscripts certain paper leaves replacing the lost or decayed palm-leaves, in course of time, appear even in worse condition than the original leaves of the manuscripts. This may be due, as explained by Muni Puṇyavijaya, to certain acid property of the ink which weakens the texture of the paper. From his personal observations also, he has found that the cloth wrappers of the palm-leaf manuscripts develop a tendency to turn black within a few years. Now, here is a point for museum chemists to determine the chemical properties of the various kinds of inks employed in writing on palm-leaves and find out the actual cause of the deterioration of paper and cloth coming in contact with those inks.