TomOcampo9313 at 12:55, 14 March 2026

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{{Short description|Assamese bark manuscript}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox manuscript

| name = ''Sanchipat''
| location =

| image = File:সাঁচিপাতৰ পুথি.JPG
| width =
| caption =
| alt =

| Also known as = ''Sanchi'' manuscript
| Type =
| Date =
| Place of origin = [[Assam]], 1st-7th century CE
| Language(s) = [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Ahom language|Ahom]]
| Scribe(s) =
| Illuminated by =
| Patron =
| Dedicated to =

| Material = Bark of ''[[Aquilaria malaccensis]]''
| Size = Typically 9-27" by 3-18"
| Format = Strung, as [[palm-leaf manuscript]]
| Script = [[Assamese alphabet]], [[Ahom script]]
| Contents =
| Illumination(s) = [[Painting of Assam]]
| Exemplar(s) = {{hlist|[[Gita Govinda]]|[[Hastividyarnava]]}}
| Other =
| below =
}}

'''''Sanchipat'''''{{efn|also ''sancipat'',<ref name=Jeyaraj/> ''sanchi-pat''}} ({{langx|as|সাঁচিপাত}}, {{transliteration|as|sāncipāt/sān̐cipāta}}, {{literal translation|sanchi leaves}}; pronounced "bancipat"<ref name=Jeyaraj/>{{Needs IPA|lang=as|date=November 2025}}) or '''''sanchi'' manuscripts''' ([[Assamese language|Assamese]]: {{transliteration|as|sanchi puthi}}) are [[Culture of Assam|Assamese-culture]] [[manuscripts]] made from the bark of the ''sānci'' aloe tree, ''[[Aquilaria malaccensis]]''. Strips or 'leaves' of bark ''(agarutvak)''<ref name=UK/><ref name=NIIMH/> are centrally perforated and strung together, similar to a [[palm-leaf manuscript]]. ''Sanchipat'' are used prominently in traditional [[Assamese literature]], [[Hindu texts]], and [[Painting of Assam|Assamese manuscript painting]]. The manuscripts' material construction is [[pest-resistant]] and resistant to [[decomposition]].

== History ==

Per Dr. V. Jeyaraj of [[Government Museum, Chennai]], ''sanchipat'' was used as early as 15 CE.<ref name=Jeyaraj/>{{rp|29–30}} The earliest accounts of ''sanchipat'' are from the 7th century CE: it is mentioned in ''[[Harshacharita]],'' wherein [[Bhaskaravarman]] of [[Kamarupa]] gifted [[Harshavardhana]] a ''sanchipat'' "the hue of the ripe [[Coccinia grandis|pink cucumber]];" and in the ''[[Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa|Āryamañjuśrīmūlakalpa]]''.<ref name=Jeyaraj/><ref name=Goswami/>{{rp|xiii}}

The zenith of ''sanchipat'' production was during the 15th-16th century spread of the ''[[Ekasarana Dharma]]'' by [[Srimanta Sankardev]]. The central holy text, the [[Bhagavat of Sankardev]], is a key devotional object for [[altars]]. A [[cottage industry]] of ''sanchipat'' producers and scribes emerged to meet the demand for devotional texts. [[Koch Bihar]] and the [[Ahom kingdom]] both patronized this cottage industry.<ref name="Current Science"/>

[[Cotton paper]] ''(tulapat)'' was a locally produced alternative to ''sanchipat'', typically used for lay uses like letters and bureaucratic record-keeping, dating as early as the 16th century.<ref name=Goswami/>{{rp|xvi}}

With the introduction of mass-produced [[paper]], ''sanchipat'' production declined, and the cottage industry died out.<ref name="Current Science"/>

== Construction ==
[[File:পুৰণি সাঁচিপাতৰ পুথি ৰখা বাকচ.jpg|thumb|Traditional box for holding ''sanchipat'']]
Stripped bark from ''[[Aquilaria malaccensis]]'' is utilized based on thickness. Thin strips constitute the 'leaves' of the ''sanchipat'', to be perforated and strung into the main manuscript chain. Particularly large and thin pieces are kept for high-quality manuscripts. Thick strips are used as covers to the book ''sanchipat''. Small or unusual pieces are utilized for personal records, called ''beti-pāt'' ({{literal translation|attendant leaves}}).<ref name=Goswami/>{{rp|xv}}

Leaves are typically 9-27" long by 3-18" wide rectangle. The strips are repeatedly soaked and sun-dried to remove pests, using a solution of ''[[aloe vera]]'', [[chalcanthite]], and ''[[Croton tiglium]]'' seed to pull [[Natural gum|gum]] from the bark. The treated bark is scraped and [[burnishing (pottery)|burnished]] smooth. The leaves are then [[sizing (paper)|sized]] with [[mung bean]] paste. Traditionally, the leaves are dyed with [[orpiment]] and bordered with [[vermilion]], adhered with the gum from ''[[Aegle marmelos]]''. This coloring is called [[Hengul and Haital|''hengul-haital'']]. Leaves are finally perforated and strung on a cord.<ref name=Jeyaraj/>{{rp|30}}<ref name="Current Science"/><ref name=Dutta/>

The application of chalcanthite ([[copper(II) sulfate]]), orpiment ([[arsenic trisulfide]]) and vermilion ([[mercury sulfide]]) make the manuscripts pest-resistant and antifungal. Orpiment and vermilion are toxic to humans.<ref name="Current Science"/><ref name=Dutta/>

===''Mahi''===

''Mahi'' is a traditional herbal [[ink]] used for ''sanchipat'' inscriptions. Compared to contemporaneous [[iron gall ink]], ''mahi'' is non-corrosive and anti-fungal.<ref name=Mahi/>

The ink is composed of a mix of fruits, bark and herbs, varying with availability:
* '''Fruits:''' ''[[Emblica officinalis]], [[Terminalia belerica]], [[Terminalia chebula]]''
* '''Bark:''' ''[[Artocarpus lakoocha]], [[Eugenia jambolana]], [[Mangifera indica]]. [[Terminalia belerica]], [[Terminalia chebula]]''
* '''Herbs:''' ''[[Centella asiatica]], [[Eclipta alba]], [[Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides]]''
The selected mixture is soaked in [[cow urine]], out of the light during the winter. A source of [[iron oxide]] is added: typically hot [[rust]]y iron, but the blood of the eel ''[[Ophichthys cuchia]]'' or the shark catfish ''[[Pangasius sutchi]]'' are also used. When the iron oxide is added, the mixture darkens with the creation of iron-[[polyphenols]]. The darkened mixture is finally [[percolation|percolated]] through a porous earthenware pot to yield ''mahi.''<ref name=Mahi/>

''Mahi'' may also contain the [[mucus]] of [[earthworms]]; wood ash; and [[dew]].<ref name=Jeyaraj/>{{rp|31}} Per [[Hemchandra Goswami]], the 16th century [[Ahom kingdom|Ahom]] king [[Sukhaamphaa]] received a ''sanchipat'' from [[Koch Bihar]] that was written in [[invisible ink]] made from the phosphorescent mucus, only legible in the dark.<ref name=Goswami/>{{rp|xvii}}

== Uses ==

=== ''Buranjis'' ===
{{main|Buranji}}
The ''buranjis'' are the [[chronicle]]s of the [[Ahom kingdom]]. Also called ''vamsāvali'', they were written in the [[Ahom language]] by [[Ahom religion]] priests, by decree of the [[Ahom dynasty]].

''Satria buranjis'' are chronicles of [[Satra (Ekasarana Dharma)|''satras'']], religious centers of the Assamese ''[[Ekasarana Dharma]]'' sect of [[Vaishnavism]].<ref name=Goswami/>{{rp|xx-xxiii}}

=== Genealogy ===
[[File:সাঁচিপতিয়া পুথি.jpg|thumb|Unwrapped ''sanchipat'']]
The ''vamsāvali'' is a ''sanchipat'' [[genealogy book]]. Traditionally, Assamese families would not only chronicle ancestry, but personal details as well. The ''buranji'' chronicles of the [[Ahom kingdom]] are sometimes called ''vamsāvali''.<ref name=Goswami/>{{rp|xx-xxi}}

=== Religious texts ===
''Sanchipat'' are the traditionally favored manuscript for copies of Hindu religious texts in ''[[Ekasarana Dharma]].'' The [[Bhagavat of Sankardev]] is a required part of devotional shrines, both in ''[[Satra (Ekasarana Dharma)|satra]]'' religious centers and in family shrines.<ref name=Goswami/>

== See also ==
* [[Agarwood]] or oudh, the resinous parasitized heartwood of ''Aquilaria''
* [[Birch bark manuscript]]
* [[Palm-leaf manuscript]]
* [[Lokta paper]]
* [[Tibetan paper]]

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
<references>

<ref name=UK>{{Citation |title=A Brief History of the University |url=https://www.keralauniversity.ac.in/our-history |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250219054802/https://www.keralauniversity.ac.in/our-history |archive-date=2025-02-19 |url-status=dead |publisher=[[University of Kerala]]}}</ref>
<ref name=NIIMH>{{Citation |title=Foreword, NIIMH-AMAR |last=Babu |first=D. Ramesh |date=2013-04-03 |url=https://niimh.nic.in/amar/foreword.php |publisher=National Institute of Indian Medical Heritage |department=AYUSH Manuscripts Advanced Repository}}</ref>
<ref name=Goswami>{{Citation |title=Descriptive Catalogue of Assamese Manuscripts |last=Goswami |first=Hemchandra |url=https://ia801505.us.archive.org/18/items/in.ernet.dli.2015.68268/2015.68268.Descriptive-Catalogue-Of-Assamese-Manuscripts_text.pdf |publisher=[[University of Calcutta]] |year=1930}}</ref>
<ref name=Jeyaraj>{{Citation |title=Care of Archival Materials and Manuscripts |last=Jeyaraj |first=V. |work=New Series - Generation Section-Chemical Conservation |volume=12 |url=https://govtmuseumchennai.org/uploads/topics/16530280952816.pdf |publisher=[[Government Museum, Chennai]] |year=2007 |edition=2}}</ref>
<ref name="Current Science">{{Citation |title=Sāncipāt: a popular manuscript writing base of early Assam, North East India |last=Dutta |first=Robin K. |date=2022-12-10 |work=Current Science |volume=123 |issue=11 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |doi=10.18520/CS/V123/I11/1359-1364 |last2=Ali |first2=Asadulla A. |last3=Goswami |first3=Barsha R. |last4=Ligira |first4=Niranjan |doi-access=free |department=Current Science Association}}</ref>
<ref name=Dutta>{{Citation |title=Traditional science in pigments and recipe of painting woodcarving in medieval Assam, India. |last=Dutta |first=Robin K. |work=Journal of Coating Technology & Research |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=1595–1609 |publisher=Springer Nature Germany |year=2023 |doi=10.1007/s11998-023-00765-8}}</ref>
<ref name=Mahi>{{Citation |title=Mahi: a unique traditional herbal ink of early Assam. |last=Goswami |first=Barsha R |date=2017-02-10 |work=Current Science |volume=112 |issue=3 |pages=591–595 |publisher=Indian Academy of Sciences |doi=10.18520/cs/v112/i03/591-595 |last2=Das |first2=Monoi K. |last3=Das |first3=Pranjal P. |last4=Medhi |first4=Tapas |last5=Ramteke |first5=Anand |last6=Hazarika |first6=Simanta |last7=Dutta |first7=Robin K.}}</ref>

</references>

[[Category:Manuscripts by type]]
[[Category:Hindu literature]]
[[Category:Assamese literature]]
[[Category:Assamese folklore]]
[[Category:Assamese-language books]]
[[Category:Ahom kingdom]]
[[Category:Vaishnava texts]]
[[Category:Ekasarana Dharma]]

Sanchipat - Revision history

TomOcampo9313 at 12:55, 14 March 2026