1.

Record Nr.

UNISA996318449303316

Autore

Bhattarai Bidur

Titolo

Dividing Texts : Conventions of Visual Text-Organisation in Nepalese and North Indian Manuscripts / / Bidur Bhattarai

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berlin/Boston, : De Gruyter, 2020

Berlin ; ; Boston : , : De Gruyter, , [2019]

©2020

ISBN

3-11-054311-7

3-11-054308-7

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (376)

Collana

Studies in Manuscript Cultures ; ; 10

Disciplina

091.0954

Soggetti

Regional studies

Australasian & Pacific history

Non-Western philosophy

Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge

Philosophy: aesthetics

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Overall layout and possible reasons for its change in manuscript -- 3. Use of symbols -- 4. Use of space -- 5. Use of colour -- 6. Conclusions -- Appendices -- References -- List of figures -- Index of manuscripts

Sommario/riassunto

The number of manuscripts produced in the Indian sub-continent is astounding and is the result of a massive enterprise that was carried out over a vast geographical area and over a vast stretch of time. Focusing mainly on areas of Northern India and Nepal between 800 to 1300 CE and on manuscripts containing Sanskrit texts, the present study investigates a fundamental and so far rarely studied aspect of manuscript production: visual organisation. Scribes adopted a variety of visual strategies to distinguish one text from another and to differentiate the various sections within a single text (chapters, sub-chapters, etc.). Their repertoire includes the use of space(s) on the folio, the adoption of different writing styles, the inclusion of symbols



of various kind, the application of colours ('rubrication'), or a combination of all these. This study includes a description of these various strategies and an analysis of their different implementations across the selected geographical areas. It sheds light on how manuscripts were produced, as well as on some aspects of their employment in ritual contexts, in different areas of India and Nepal.