Indian Epigraphy c9.t12.9

c9.t12.9

By mixing green colour with gum in boiling water, people prepared green ink. Similarly yellow ink was made from the yellow orpiment. Such special inks were used as red ink was done. For deleting a letter or a group of letters, often it was covered with yellow orpiment or encircled by a line or endowed with one or more small vertical strokes above the letter or letters. These marks were sometimes made in coloured ink. Coloured ink is mentioned in the Puranic sections dealing with the donation of manuscripts.¹ Chalk, red lead or minium (*hiṅgula*) was generally used as a substitute for ink.²