Photographs of selected manuscripts from The Guardian of the Flame Sri Lanka Manuscript Collection (MS SC MSS 203). The complete collection consists of 390 individual manuscript objects. The manuscripts are predominantly Theravada Buddhist religious texts that originate from as early as the 3rd Century AD, although these copies of texts date from circa 1600-1910. Descriptions were compiled by Wijitha Bandara and Dr. Stephen Berkwitz. Photos presented here were made by several contributors over time, most photos depict covers and colophons, and complete sets of folio images are added as they are created.

Displaying 11 - 20 of 119
Created1881
Description

Wijitha Bandara Comments: A glossary to aid students master the Mahabodhivansa, a history of the sacred Bodhi tree in Pali. Wooden covers are decorated. Date of transcription is written on one of the covers. Pagination in Sinahala and Arabic. Two blank leaves and a copy of first leaf is found.

ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Sinhalese gloss on Vinaya text; Small handwriting, fine hand. Decorative drawing on last leaf.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Wood covers have carved design, beveled edges. Text missing beginning leaves, starts at folio 33 (ga) with new text: "namo tassa bhagavato ...". Unskilled hand. Some leaves bound upside down, others out of order.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Grammars/Lexicons; Drawings on first leaf.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Outside covers painted red. Small, skilled handwriting.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Decorated cover. Incomplete text(s). Unskilled hand(s). Leaves bound in different directions, out of order.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Blue cloth bound covers with gold leaf design Inside cover has dyed paper. Small, skilled handwriting. Bound in reverse order with some sections upside down. Incomplete. Begins with folio 24, ends with folio 71.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Writing appears to be in Burmese script. Edges of leaves painted in gold with red stripe down middle.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Unidentified. Small handwriting; more than one author (?); numerous yantras and drawings of animals and objects on leaves; mixture of prose and verse; apparent anthology of texts.
ContributorsSpindler, Robert (Photographer)
DescriptionStephen Berkwitz Comments: Unidentified. Numerous drawings and yantras on leaves. Folios short and not paginated. Includes Sivali Yantra.