The pages of Jain palm-leaf manuscripts were fastened together with a string through a hole in the centre. How were they then protected?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → With wooden covers placed on top and bottom
The fastened pages were protected with wooden covers called patlis. Palm leaves, and paper from the fourteenth century, were the surfaces the paintings were done on, not the covers. Cloth covers are not what is named for protecting the fastened pages.
NCERT (2026-27): “Western Indian School of Painting …Jains got these texts written in numerous copies. …A small hole in the centre was created for a string to pass through to fasten the pages together that were in turn protected with wooden covers called patlis, placed on top and bottom of the manuscript. Early Jain paintings were traditionally done on palm leaves before paper was introduced in the fourteenth century and the earliest surviving palm leaf manuscript from the western part of India dates back to the eleventh century.” |