Keeper of ancient palm-leaf inscriptions Premium

Dr. V.S. Krishna Library on the Andhra University campus stands apart from many for its collection of rare books and ancient manuscripts and palm-leaf inscriptions

Peering over a magnifying glass trying to read the inscriptions on a small piece of palm leaf, which looks delicate and brittle, one cannot but wonder how the inscriptions were made centuries ago when pen, ink and paper were yet to be invented.

It would also make one ponder as to how the entire Valmiki Ramayana or the Vyasa’s epic Mahabharatha, or for that matter a discourse on Skanda Purana, was inscribed on hundreds of such palm leaves that are not wider than an inch or two, and think how much time it would have taken for the writer to complete the task.

To get a feel of such an antique exhibit, one should visit the Dr V.S. Krishna Library at Andhra University here, which is home to about 2,660 bundles of such palm-leaf inscriptions.

Constituted by the Madras Act of 1926, Andhra University is not only the oldest university in the residual state of Andhra Pradesh, post bifurcation, but is also one of the oldest public universities in the country.

Seeded and groomed by eminent Vice-Chancellors such as Dr. C.R. Reddy, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Dr. V.S. Krishna, this university has carved a legacy amidst many tall and standing public institutions in the country.

But one of its unique features on the campus is the Dr. V.S. Krishna Library which was instituted within one year of the university’s establishment. Today, it stands apart from many for its collection of rare books and ancient manuscripts and palm-leaf inscriptions.

It is one of the few institutions in the country to boast of such a collection of centuries-old inscriptions on palm leaves.