Indias oldest paper "Baye"

In ancient India, people used betra (Sanskrit Pattra) leaves as writing tools. These leaves are similar to palm leaves and are evenly distributed in a fan shape. After being harvested, the bay leaves were boiled and dried. Then polish both sides of the blade and cut it into a rectangle about 7 to 8 cm wide and 60 cm long. People used a pen with a sharp tip to record the deeds and thoughts of saints on the leaves of Bedoro, which symbolizes light. Buddhists also carved scriptures on such leaves. Later, people called the scriptures inscribed on Bedoro leaves. It is the "Baye Sutra". In the Bayeux Sutra, an ancient Mahayana classic, a mixture of oil and soot was smeared on the writing, and then wiped with hot sand, so that the writing part was dyed black. Finally, punch a small hole in the bay leaf and bind it into a book with rope. The bay leaf sutra produced in this way is moisture-proof, antiseptic and insect-proof.

When Tang Xuanjie (602-664) went to Western Heaven (Tianzhu) to obtain scriptures, paper had been invented in China for 500 years, but the scriptures brought back from India were all Bay-leaf Sutras. The outside of each bundle of Bay-leaves Clamp it with wooden boards and tie it with rope. It is recorded in the history books that the Tang Xuan Prize brought back 520 folders of scriptures. The folder is the quantity unit used to tie the bay leaves into a bundle with wooden boards. It is conceivable that Tang Xuan Prize brought so many scriptures with him, and he had to go through a lot of hardships and hardships when he came back from the scriptures. Thinking of this is awe-inspiring. Papermaking was introduced to India in the 7th century. When Tang Xuanlei went to Tianzhu to collect scriptures, papermaking may have been passed to India, but it is obvious that paper has not been copied and used in large quantities, or ancient traditions must be followed, and scriptures must be It is unknown whether it was engraved on the bedoro leaves. In short, the Tang Xuan Prize did not bring back a paper scripture, and the "New Book of Tang" did not cover the relevant content. Naturally, there was no possibility for Indians to use paper to make paper arts at that time.