Karnataka - Mysore   

Seminar on Kadathas gets under way in Mysore

Staff Correspondent

Kadathas are documents written on a piece of cloth

ANCIENT DOCUMENT: A.K. Shastry displaying a manuscript in Mysore on Tuesday. — PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

MYSORE: A two-day seminar on Kadathas, documents written on cloth in ancient days, and its conservation got under way in Mysore on Tuesday. The seminar has been organised by the State Archives under the National Manuscripts Mission.

Delivering the keynote address, A.K. Shastry, a scholar on Kadathas, said research scholars should not be dependent on the Government for sourcing material. They could seek the Government's help at the time of publication, he added.

On the present trend, he said, nearly 20 per cent of the source material had been lost due to poor maintenance. He said the archival sources should be protected. India had failed to project its history even though it had 5,000 years of it to speak about. Dr. Shastry said though sources of information on history were many such as monuments, coins, legends, inscriptions, Kadathas as a source of information were relatively unknown.

He said, "The merchant community of the Mysore region is stated to have prepared its account books with such sheets of cloth seasoned with a paste made out of tamarind seed powder and later blackened with charcoal."

Kadathas are to be found only in the State. It has been found that Kadathas are an important source of document and correspondence.

The correspondence between Sringeri Math and Vijayanagar rulers besides those between the rulers are found in the Kadathas of the State.

Retired Director of Archaeology and Museums A. Sundara inaugurated the seminar. Deputy Director of Heritage J.V. Gayatri, Administrative Officer, Archives, Mallikarjunappa and B.V. Kharbade of Regional Conservation Laboratory were present.

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