Indian Epigraphy c9.t13.4

c9.t13.4

For scratching letters on palmyra leaves, iron pens with sharp points were in use especially in the southern parts of the country. Sometimes ornamental designs at the end of chapters in palmyra-leaf manuscripts written in ink were drawn with such iron pens. The prevalent Sanskrit name for the instrument is śalākā (Marāṭhī saḷaī). Rājaśekhara’s Kāvyamīmāṃsā³ refers to it as loha-kaṇṭaka or iron needle used to write on tāla-dala whereas lekhanī and masi-bhājana are mentioned in connection with writing on tāḍi-patra and birch bark. The work also mentions other writing materials as phalaka (a board) and khaṭikā (a piece of chalk), both preserved in a small box, and refers to the practice of writing on well-cleaned bhittis meaning floors or walls.