Indian Palaeography from about B.C. 350 to about A.D. 1300 c11.s2.t3: C. — The treatment of letters
Indian Palaeography from about B.C. 350 to about A.D. 1300 c11.s2.t3
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C. — The treatment of letters
c11.s2.t3.1
The Jātakas already mention the custom of wrapping up important letters in white cloth and sealing the packet.² At present, official or ceremonial letters often are sent in bags of silk or brocade. In the case of ordinary letters on palm-leaves, the proceeding is simpler; the leaves are folded, their ends are split and joined, and the whole is tied up with a thread.³ It is probable that letters on Bhūrja were treated similarly. According to Bāṇa,⁴ the postal runner (*dīrghādhvaga*, *lekhahāraka*) tied each separately to a strip of cloth and wound this round his head.
c11.s2.t3.2
² B.IS. III[^2]. 8; FAUSBÖLL, Jātaka, 2, 173 f.
c11.s2.t3.3
³ B. *E°IP*, 89.
c11.s2.t3.4
⁴ Harṣacarita, 58, 137.
Cites (3)
- Jātakatthavaṇṇanā — Pāli
- Jātaka — Pāli
- Harṣacarita — Bāṇabhaṭṭa, Sanskrit