paper MTMs, thyasapū (folded book)

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Paper manuscripts in the Śivadharma corpus are characterized by specific codicological features such as 'double foliation' (p. 255, 262). This system involves one number in the left margin (verso side) reporting the page number in relation to the whole manuscript (MTM), and another in the right margin counting pages of each single work (p. 255). Some paper manuscripts are produced as 'thyasapū' or folded books, particularly noted in the 17th century (p. 260).

Evidence

"The Śivadharma corpus is also preserved in a variety of later Nepalese paper manuscripts, which show features similar but not identical to their palm-leaf antecedents."

Remarks

The production of paper manuscripts in Nepal increased significantly, outnumbering palm-leaf by the 16th century (p. 271). Paper MTMs (multiple-text manuscripts) typically feature blank folios between works, though these folios often contain 'additional headings' naming the sections as 'khaṇḍa' (p. 263). The paper used for manuscripts like NAK 1–1108 is specifically identified as thyasapū (p. 274).