Khmer script incised on palm leaves
In olden times before paper was invented, dried palm leaves were used as medium of writing in Cambodia.
Preparation requires patience and techniques.
First palm leaves are cut from the trees before they could dry up and become brittle.
Leaves are carefully processed, dried and cut into desired size.
Oil mixture is applied to the leaves, and then characters are written by incision with a pointed metal stylus.
To make it more visible, ink is applied on the incised characters and wiped off.
The black ink is only deposited on the grooves, in the result characters stand out.
This unique writing method is calld “Sleak Reath” in the Khmer language.
It was mainly used to write religious texts and divination. Occasionally it was used as an invitation letter.
Most of these palm leaf manuscripts were destroyed during the civil war.
A rare collection of palm leaf manuscripts are displayed at the National Library and some temples.
At Angkor Wat, we can see a female god holding palm leaves on the wall art.
Today, palm leaf manuscripts are reproduced using the same old method and sold for room decoration and souvenir.
The price is around one hundred US dollars for several sheets.
Photo & Text by Va Pov
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