Encyclopedias & Dictionaries | Monier-Williams: A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (p. 764) bhūrja, m. a species of birch (the Bhoj tree, Betula Bhojpatra, the bark of which is used for writing on) Kāṭh.; Kāv.; Var. &c.; n. a leaf made of birch bark for writing on, Kāraṇḍ.; a written deed, document, Lokapr. Cf. Slav. brěza; Lith. berzas; Germ. bircha, Birke; Eng. birch. Dymock, Warden, Hooper: Pharmacographia Indica (vol. III, pp. 359-360) Betula alnoides, Betula utilis, Cupuliferae Fig.- Himalayan Birch (Eng., B. utilis), Betula Bhojpatra Those trees require a brief notice, as the bark, in Sanskrit Bhurjapatra, is much used all over the country for writing medicinal charms on, and is to be found in every druggist's shop. This bark is well-known as the material upon which the ancient Sanskrit manuscripts of Northern India are written. Dr. B hler, in his account of a tour in Cashmere in search of Sanskrit manuscripts, says: -"The Bhurja MSS. are written on specially prepared thin sheets of the inner bark of the Himalayan birch, and invariably in SÄrada characters. The lines run always parallel to the narrow side of the leaf, and the MSS. present, therefore, the appearance of European books, not of Indian MSS., which owe their form to an imitation of the Talapartas. The Himalayas seem to contain an inexhaustible supply of birch-bark, which in Cashmere and other hill countries is used both instead of paper by the shop-keepers in the bazaars, and for lining the roofs of houses in order to make them water-tight. It is also exported to India, where in many places it is likewise used for wrapping up parcels, and plays an important part in the manufacture of the flexible pipe-stems used by hukÄ-smokers. To give an idea of the quantities which are brought into Srinagar, I may mention that on one single day I counted fourteen large barges with birch-bark on the river, and that I have never moved about without seeing some boats laden with it. None of the boats carried, I should say, less than three of four tons' weight." "The use of birch-bark for literary purposes is attested by the earliest classical Sanskrit writers. KalidÄsa mentions it in his dramas and epics; SuĹruta, VarahÄmihira (circa 500-550 A.D.) know it likewise. Akbar introduced the manufacture of paper, and thus created an industry for which Cashmere is now famous in India. From that time the use of birch-bark for the purpose of writing was discontinued, and the method of preparing it has been lost. The preparation of the ink, which was used for BhĹŤrja MSS., is known. It was made by converting almonds into charcoal and boiling the coal thus obtained with gomĹŤtra (urina bovis); this ink is not affected by damp or water." (Journal, Bombay Branch Royal Asiatic Society, Vol. XII., No. XXXIV. A.)
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