Manuscript

Buddhist palm leaf manuscript. Various languages; Sinhalese script. No date or scribe. Palm leaves. 35 folios variously lettered and numbered. 6-8 lines per folio side. Despite variation in size of folios all appear to be of same date. Two lateral holes. Wooden coveres with outside surfaces stained and varnished. Several erroneous paper labels explaining contents. Text in four sections. Section A: Sinhalese, Malayalam and/or Tamil, Sanskrit. Title not given, perhaps Madi Bandana? Buddhist charms and accompanying ritual with statements of purpose. 13 folios; lettered ka to kau(ku also lettered nau), and numbered 2-14. Lacks beginning? Section B: Singhalese. Title not given, perhaps Madi Bandana. Buddhist mythology. 6 folios; lettered na/pr, nah/pe, pai, po, pau, pa. Section C: Sinhalese. No title. Buddhist texts for exorcist to get various deities to enter his body plus two chants, 7 folios; lettered sva, a, a,i, i u, u; and numbered 1-7. No colophon. Section D: Sinhalese and Tamil(?). No title. Buddhist mythological episodes and incantations. 9 folios; lettered pa to pl. No colophon.

Comments: Two lateral holes. Wood covers with outside surfaces stained and varnished. Some stain near edges of a few folios. Paper label on outside of one cover erroneously states the contents to be "veda" and notes in writing which is now very pale, "Recieved April 15th, 1907 from/ Mrs. ...H.C..d../.../...." A label on the outside of the other cover repeats the mistake with regard to the contents. It notes, "From the Temple of the Tooth/[(Bombay), crossed out and covered with the note, 400 B.C., B.C. crossed out, 400 underlined, and A.D. added under this] Kandy. Ceylon./ A Veda portion of their `Bible'--one of the 4 Books/ of Prayer and Praise of the Hindus/ written in Sanscrit.--/(1400 to 200B.C.)" Despite the variation in the size of the folios, they all appear to be of the same date. Section A. Comments: Lacks beginning? Several sections begin, "on namo..." No colophon? Section C and D. Comments: Lacks colophon.